Beautiful Disaster
by ForeverAlwaysTogether
Summary: Hermione Granger has never been one to give up and walk away. So when she discovers her pregnancy only weeks after Ron calls off their engagement, she is determined to do everything she can to keep her child from the father that abandoned them. Even if it means accepting help from the most unlikely of sources.
1. Chapter 1

I stare down at the plastic stick in my hands. Two minutes suddenly feels a lot longer than usual. Biting my lip, I look up at the mirror. My face is pale, my hair disheveled. I look like I haven't slept in days, and unfortunately that is the case.

I put down the stick as if it has burned me, resting it on the ledge of the sink. My eyes dart toward the bathroom door, unconsciously moving my thumb to my mouth so I can bite my nail. After a moment I realize what I'm doing and quickly stop, dropping the hand to hold my neck, my other arm wrapped around my waist.

My eyes glance back at the stick and I reach out for it slowly as if it were a wild animal. I suck in a deep breath and hold it up to my face so I can see the results.

Two pink lines.

I'm pregnant.

* * *

~Four months ago~

"Ron? I'm home!" I call out as I step through the door to our flat. I let out a soft sigh of relief upon kicking off my heels, wiggling my toes to get the feeling back in them. "Ron? Where are you?"

I move through the flat, depositing my keys in the bowl on the kitchen counter and draping my cloak over a kitchen chair. I flip on the light in the living room as I glide through, looking for any signs of my fiancé.

The door to our bedroom is cracked and I push it open only to find the same emptiness I've experienced with the rest of the flat. Frowning, I undo the buttons of my blouse, letting the fabric fall to the floor, soon followed by a trail of the rest of my clothes as I move toward the bathroom. I set my wand on the sink as I turn toward the tub and adjust the tap so hot water begins to flow. As the bath fills, I turn my attention to the mirror, finally pulling the pins out of my tight bun. I smile as I massage my scalp.

I notice the tub is full behind me and quickly turn to set off the water before it overflows. I climb into the water, sighing contently as the heat relaxes my muscles. A hot bath is just what I needed to relax after the work week.

"Hermione?"

I smile at the sound of Ron's voice. "I'm in the bath, Ron!" I call back.

A moment later he appears in the bathroom door, leaning against the frame. His Qudditch robes are caked in dirt and sweat, but thankfully he must have taken his boots off at the door because I notice no mud tracks behind him.

"How was the game?" I ask as I work my shampoo into my hair.

He shrugs in response and moves to start taking off his gear. "It was all right, I suppose. Jackson got hit with a Bludger about ten minutes in, so being down a Chaser fucked us over for a bit. Kelley caught the Snitch after an hour give or take, but we barely scraped by with the win."

"At least you won! You guys are one step closer to the World Cup now!"

Ron smirks and pulls his robes over his head. "Yeah, but Jackson might be out for the rest of the season. The Bludger got him right in the side of his face. The bloke at St. Mungo's said he's sure he'll make a full recovery, but it might take a while, even with magic. The rest of the team and I are going to need to find a substitute for our next game, if not the whole season."

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. What about Brett? I thought you guys kept him around in case of things like this."

Ron sighs and comes to kneel beside me, his hand playing with the water of my bath. "Brett took a position with the Holyhead Harpies last month. I must have forgotten to tell you. We'll just have to find someone better by this time next week."

His hand slowly dips under the water to stroke my arm and I giggle before pushing him away. "Oh no, you don't. You know the rule, Ronald Weasley. I am _not_ sharing a bath with you right after any sort of game or practice. The water would be filthy!"

"You're no fun," he teases with a smile. "Well hurry up and get cleaned up so I can shower, then."

I roll my eyes but quicken my pace, rising the shampoo from my hair and even skipping shaving so Ron can clean himself up before he stinks up any more rooms in the flat. I accept the towel he hands me when I exit the tub and move off to the side so I can dry off while he showers.

"Oh, I completely forgot to ask you about your day," he says when he pulls the curtain around him. "How's the case coming along?"

"Very well, actually," I say, my voice raised slightly so he can hear me over the sound of the water. "We found some new evidence that should put the defendant away for quite a while, thanks to Harry."

"Yeah? What'd he find?"

"You know I can't share details until the case is closed, Ron."

He laughs. "Okay, fine, fine. How about the one with involving the Muggle shopping center? That one's closed, right?"

"Yes; that defendant was found guilty of assault and endangering the secrecy of magic. The Wizengamot sentenced him to one year in Azkaban, followed by community service upon his release."

Ron shut off the water and let out a low whistle. "Poor bastard. At least Dementors aren't in charge of the prison anymore. Still not a cheery place to be, though. Honestly, there is no way I could do your job, Hermione. A prosecutor for the Wizengamot and the Ministry? No, thank you." He steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around his waist as he moves to the mirror to start shaving.

"Well, the same goes for me and your job," I laugh. "You saw me my first- and only! - time on a broom; I nearly pissed myself! Besides, I hopefully won't have this position for much longer. The Senior Secretary to the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is retiring at the end of the month, and I have it on good authority that my name is being tossed around for the promotion!"

"You're joking!"

"No!"

Ron's face breaks out into a grin and he hugs me. "That is great news, Hermione! You'll be Chief Warlock- no, Witch! -of the Wizengamot before you know it!"

* * *

~Two months later~

I stumble through the door to the flat and kick off my heels. "Ron?" I hear a muffled response come from our bedroom and slowly begin making my way there, but not before noticing the mess in the kitchen _and_ the living room. I narrow my eyes as I deposit my keys and cloak before making my way to the bedroom.

Ron is laying under the covers of the bed surrounded by all the junk food we own.

"What the hell, Ron?!" I yell.

He looks at the mess around him before shrugging. "You weren't home and I was hungry and tired from the game. What was I supposed to do? Wait?"

"No, but you could have at least eaten in the kitchen! Our bed is covered in crumbs and I just washed the sheets!"

"So? You can wash them again tomorrow."

"What? No, no I cannot! Ron, you know I work Saturdays now because of the-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Because of your _promotion_."

I blink at his tone and move my weight to one side as I cross my arms against my chest. "Excuse me? What is with you tonight?"

"What is with me? What is with you? All you ever talk about is your bloody promotion and I'm sick of it!"

My jaw drops. "You cannot be serious right now, Ronald Weasley! You were the one telling everyone after I mentioned that my name was being tossed around! I didn't even have the job yet and you were bragging about me to all your teammates, your family, and our friends! And now you are accusing _me_ of only talking about my promotion? You were so happy for me a month ago when I was offered the position!"

"Well that was before I realized how much time of yours this bloody job was going to eat up! You couldn't go to the majority of my games when you were just a prosecutor, but now you can't go to any! Not to mention you are _never_ home when I get back! We don't talk anymore, Hermione!"

"We don't talk? Ron, all I've wanted to do is talk to you, but everyday I've gotten home the past few weeks, you have either been passed out or only interested in shagging!"

"Well at least one of us was interested in our relationship!"

"Have you been drinking? What is with you tonight?" I hiss as I stalk pass him to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I notice the empty beer bottles in the trash and sneer when I see them. Ron always has been a pissy drunk.

Ever since my promotion Ron had been distant and perhaps even a little bitter. The Chudley Cannons lost their first match without Jackson after only finding a mediocre replacement, successfully ruining their chances of going to the World Cup. While my career was zooming off in the right direction, his was stagnant.

I pull off my work clothes and step into the shower, hoping the water will wash away my frustration with Ron. He can't keep taking his anger out on me. I won't stand for it. I am not some newbie on his team that he can boss around when he doesn't get his way.

I shut off the water and dry off as I move to the closet connected to the bathroom. The longer I stay away from Ron, the sooner I'll stop being so angry. I pull some pajamas out of my dresser at random and get dressed, tossing the towel into the hamper on my way out. Upon reentering the bedroom, I find the bed still covered in food, but no Ron in sight.

"Ron?"

I frown when I don't get an answer and leave the bedroom. My eyes flicker over the flat, noting exactly every mess he has left in his wake, but still not finding him. The prat must have walked out to avoid the rest of our argument. Fine, I can live with that.

I return to the bedroom and clean the bed with a wave of my wand, deciding that Ron can clean the rest of the flat whenever he gets back from some late night pitying drinking. He is really going to need to stop that once we're married. I climb into bed and adjust the sheets before using my wand to turn out the light and rolling onto my side and shutting my eyes.

* * *

My eyes flutter open at the sound of my alarm and I yawn, stretching my limbs. I pat the mattress next to me and sit up completely when I find it empty. Strange. Ron always crawls back into bed with me, no matter what kind of fight we've had. I push back the covers and swing my legs out of the bed, grabbing my robe from the chair by the windowsill. I tie the sash around my waist as I call out for Ron.

I walk toward the living room and find it in the exact same state it was last night when I went to bed, and Ron is not sleeping on the couch, or at the kitchen table. Nor are his shoes by the door or his keys on the counter.

I return to my bedroom and throw on a pair of slacks and a sweater. As I brush my teeth I keep listening for the door to open and Ron to come stumbling in with a painful hangover. So far, nothing.

I pull my hair back into a ponytail as I walk determinedly to the living room and throw some Floo powder into the fireplace and call out Harry's name.

After a moment, his face appears in the green flames.

"Hermione, I'd like to preface this by saying that I love you, but I absolutely loathe your sense of timing. It is far too early for _any_ sort of interaction with the outside world, not to mention that today is my one day off and Ginny and I-"

"I am going to cut you off right there, Harry," I say with a smile. "I do not need to know what you and Ginny had planned for today."

He rolls his eyes and smirks. "Wow, Hermione, always thinking the worst of us. Well come on then, out with it. What could you possibly need so early in the morning?"

"Ron and I had a domestic last night and he must have stormed out while I was in the shower. Did he happen to swing by your place? He's not home yet."

"I haven't seen him. Hey Ginny!" Harry's face disappears as he leans back to call for his wife. "Gin! Have you seen or heard from Ron today?"

There is a pause and I can faintly hear Ginny's voice, but I can't quite make out what she's saying.

"Hermione said they had a domestic and he went out last night; he's not home yet!"

Another pause.

Harry's face reappears in the fire. "Ginny hasn't heard from him, but she says she's willing to hex him because she assumes he's at fault."

I laugh. "No, the fault is probably equal between the two of us. He was drinking and I think he's still jealous about my promotion. Ever since the Cannons lost that match against the Falcons he's been a right prick, but I've been stressed with the new job and all that, so I probably haven't been the most supportive fiancé."

Harry snorts. "Ron can get off his high horse. These issues started with his team losing, not necessarily you getting that promotion. Who'd they get to replace Jackson, again?"

I shrug. "I think some girl from the Wasps. I want to say her name is Sarah or something to that effect."

Harry's face vanishes again. "Oi, Gin! Which player left the Wasps to play for the Cannons? Sarah Fisherman, right?"

Ginny's voice sounds much closer when she replies. "Yeah, that's her. Pretty stupid move if you ask me. She's really not that great of a Chaser and the Wasps have a much better record than the Cannons, even when they had Jackson; she really downgraded when she accepted that position."

"Makes you wonder why she did it then, doesn't it? Suppose she fancies Kelley? His girlfriend did just dump him," Harry says.

"Risking your career for one bloody Seeker? Hardly worth it if you ask me," Ginny scoffs. Her face suddenly appears in the fire and she smiles at me. "I'll let you know if I see my brother any time soon, Hermione. Now, off you get- you've got to go to work and I've got the whole rest of the day with my wonderful husband."

"Just keep the details to yourself, please," I laugh. "See you two later!"

* * *

AN: The title of this story comes from Kelly Clarkson's song "Beautiful Disaster"


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, Miss Granger," April chips as I step out of the elevator. "Here are your messages and I would like to remind you that you have a meeting with the Junior Secretary at noon and another one with the Chief Warlock at one."

"Great, thank you," I say as I peruse the slips of paper she hands me. "Tell me, has my fiancé owled at all?"

April shakes her head after double checking her clipboard. "Nope, no owls from Ronald Weasley."

"Huh… well if he does, please let me know immediately, okay?"

"Will do, Miss Granger."

I smile kindly at her before stepping into my office and shutting the door behind me. A flick of my wand has the fireplace lit and roaring should anyone need to Floo in and speak with me. I place my messages on my desk with a mental note to respond to them before lunch, before turning to the case files I left stacked neatly from the following night. I flip through the top one, my eyes scanning the testimony and frowning at the depositions. The prosecutor didn't rehearse with our witnesses enough and the defense attorney certainly ripped a huge hole in our case because of it.

"April," I call into the intercom. "Who's the main prosecutor on the Anderson case?"

I hear shuffling of paper on April's end as she riffles through the case notes. "Uh, that would be Mr. Gregory Reed."

I groan internally. Anyone but Reed; I do not have the energy for him right now. "I'm going to need to speak with him about prepping witnesses for the stand when they are cross-examined by the defense attorneys; when is his next available?"

"It looks like he is available now."

I sigh. "Could you be a dear and get him over here, please?"

"Of course, Miss Granger."

I switch of the intercom and pinch the bridge of my nose. It is going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

I shuffle through the case files on my desk as I gulp down a cup of coffee. I think it is my third, but it could be my fourth. My meeting with the Chief Warlock did not go as hoped; we lost a big case which caused huge blow to the Minster's popularity amongst the public and I spent about an hour being chewed out for it. If we didn't pull through on the Anderson case… well failure was simply not an option.

"Miss Granger, your four o'clock is here."

"Excuse me?" I ask into the intercom after hearing April's cool voice. "I thought I didn't have any more meetings after the Chief Warlock."

I barely get the full sentence out before the door to my office swings open and Draco Malfoy struts inside.

"Never mind, April," I say tightly upon meeting Malfoy's eyes. "Do me a favor and get the latest reports for the Davis's case please. I'd like them on my desk before five."

"Sure thing, Miss Granger."

"Wow, look at you," Malfoy says as I turn off the intercom. "Senior Secretary to the Chief Warlock. Even got your own PA and everything. It's all so official."

"What do you want, Malfoy?" I ask as I open my own files and tuck them away out of his sight. "I am rather busy at the moment."

He arches a blond eyebrow at me and smirks. "Tsk, tsk Granger; that is no way to talk to the Head of the Investigation Department."

"Congratulations on your promotion, Malfoy," I reply drily. "But honestly, what do you need? I've got a lot on my plate at the moment."

"I need your Anderson file."

My fingers tighten around the folder unconsciously. "Why?"

Malfoy gives me an exasperated look. "Come on, Granger, you can't honestly be that daft. Reed fucked us on our last testimony and my department now needs to find more evidence to cover for his mistake. I've already got a couple Aurors out in the field, but I'd like to give them something else to go on."

"I really don't know how my file is going to help you; we have the same information."

"Yes, but we organize it differently. I'm hoping if I look at the case in a new way I'll see something I didn't notice before. Here," he reaches into his robes and pulls out a thick file resembling the one I have refused to hand over. "You can have my file. Maybe my notes will help you come up with something."

I arch an eyebrow but begrudgingly accept his file in exchange for my own.

"Don't look so distraught, Granger; my arse is on the line too if we lose this case."

"I honestly doubt that, Malfoy."

He narrows his silver eyes and crosses his arms. "Granger, this is the first case I've been given as Department Head. My past and my age didn't exactly help me get the bloody job so certain higher-ups are looking for reasons to fire my arse. If I- _we_ \- lose this case, we are both fucked. Got that?"

"Well if _I_ had more information to go off of, we wouldn't be in this mess right now."

Malfoy's lips pull back in a growl. "No, if your prosecutor would have done his job and prepped the witnesses, we wouldn't have had our arses handed to us by the god damn defense attorney! Now I have send men out to find something to fix _your_ fucking mess!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me in my own office, Malfoy!" I hiss, moving around my desk so I can glare at him better. "Your department should have gathered ample evidence _before_ we put this bastard on trial! If we had had all of the information, we wouldn't have needed to call for a bloody weekend recess!"

Malfoy glowers down at me, his expression and eyes hard.

"Miss Granger?"

"What?" I snap, looking at April when she pokes her head into my office.

"Your fiancé is here to see you."

"Give me a moment, please." I turn back to Malfoy to continue glaring at him. "I want whatever information you find in my hands before Monday," I hiss.

"The same goes for you."

We glare at each other in silence for a moment, letting the tension build. Thankfully, Ron steps into my office and distracts me.

"Hermione, look I-" he stops upon seeing Malfoy and I in a heated glaring contest.

"I trust you know the way out," I growl.

"Yes, I believe I can find it," Malfoy snaps back.

He turns on his heel and slams his shoulder in Ron as he passes, making the redhead stumble back a few feet. With a flourish of his black cloak, he's gone.

"What the bloody hell did the ferret want?" Ron asks as he glares at the door Malfoy just exited.

I sigh and sink into one of the chairs in front of my desk. "He needed my file for a case we're working on. He's hoping he can get something new out of it if he looks at the way I've organized the case and my notes on it, as opposed to his own… I really didn't have the patience to deal with him today." I glance up at Ron who is still standing in the doorway. "Well come in, then."

He does as I say and shuts the door behind him before moving to the chair beside mine.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for storming out on you last night, and for not coming home. Ginny about near killed me when I showed up at hers and Harry's place and admitted I hadn't talked to you yet."

I chuckle. "I think that had more to do with the fact that this was Harry's first full day off in probably two weeks. I'm so glad you aren't an Auror; they work those poor blokes right into the ground sometimes."

"Yeah, but Harry's tough, he'll make it." Ron pauses before looking at me expectedly. "So? Do you accept my apology?"

"Of course, I do. I'm sorry if I haven't been around as much lately; I just really want to do a good job with this. Especially since I'm so young; a lot of the senior staff are pissed I got this position over them. I mean, a twenty-four year old Senior Secretary to the Chief Warlock? That's practically unheard of."

"It's quite impressive, babe. And I'm sorry for snapping. I've just been down lately because of us failing that last match. But I'm gonna start training that new girl Sarah. We have another tournament coming up in a month or so and I want her to be ready, you know? It's not the World Cup, but it's something at least."

I smile. "Good, I'm glad you can help her. You'll make a great trainer."

Ron smiles sheepishly at me before glancing at my clock. "So, any chance you could sneak away early tonight? We could go out, get something to eat; make a night of it, you know?"

I glance at the pile of work on my desk and sigh. "I'm sorry, Ron, but I don't think I can. I've got to look over these two cases and Malfoy's notes on the Anderson case-"

"Whatever, it's fine," he says sharply. "Some other time then."

"Ron, you know I want to-"

"It's fine, Hermione. Really. I'll see you later."

I watch Ron leave my office and wait until the door shuts behind him before letting out a low groan. I rub my temples before standing and moving to the other side of desk so I can get some work done.

* * *

"Granger? Granger!"

I jerk awake at the sound of my name, my eyes focusing on the figure leaning over my desk. I blink and the shapeless being turns into Malfoy. I glare at him.

"What could you possibly want at," I turn to glance at the clock, "one in the bloody morning?"

"I came to drop this off and to ask for mine back," he says, dropping my thick file onto the desk. "I got all I need from it."

I arch an eyebrow as I gather the contents of his own file and hand it back to him. "Were you able to get anything out of my notes then?"

Malfoy shakes his head. "I didn't need to. The bastard was released for the weekend recess."

My eyes go wide. "Oh no. Merlin, no."

"The Aurors didn't make it in time."

"I'm going to be sick," I say, running from my desk to the bathroom attached to my office.

I just make it to the loo before retching up my dinner. I hear Malfoy's sounds of disgust from the doorway, but don't turn to look at him as another way of nausea hits me and I lurch again toward the bowl.

"How many?" I cough after a few dry heaves. "How many did he kill?"

"Three."

I reach up and flush the toilet before hauling myself and gripping the sink for balance. "How old?" I ask as I rinse out my mouth, hoping to get the taste of vomit off my tongue.

"All under ten. He treated them the same as the others."

I look up and meet Malfoy's eyes in the mirror.

"I wanted to win the case, but not like this," he says softly.

"Me either."

He nods and looks down at the casefile in his hands. "I'll help Reed prep the witnesses and experts on Monday and go over the new evidence with you two after. This sick son of a bitch who won't be free any time soon."

I nod grimly and turn to look at him. "I'm sorry, by the way. For earlier. I'm under similar stress because of my age and position as well."

"At least you don't have a past or family to be ashamed of," Malfoy snaps, unconsciously rubbing his left forearm. "One fuckup and my arse is going to be kicked to the curb. Face it, Granger; you've got a much better shot in this career field than I do."

"I never said I didn't."

Malfoy shakes his head and dismisses me. "When is your first available on Monday?"

I glide past him to my desk and push my files around until I find my day planner. "It looks like April has given me an opening from eleven to noon. Does that work?"

"Only if I skip lunch," he says bitterly.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "We can discuss the case over lunch then if you're so worried about eating. That is, if you're all right with being seen in public with a Mudblood and all." I note with probably too much satisfaction that his eyes narrow at the word.

"I haven't called you that in years, Granger. I've matured since our school days; I wouldn't have this job if I didn't."

"Good to know, Malfoy. Now, lunch on Monday- does that work for you or not?"

He glares at me and nods curtly. "Come by my office at 11:15. Make sure you bring Reed with you. I don't want him getting flustered when he sees the evidence for the first time. This bastard's going away for good."

"I couldn't agree more."


	3. Chapter 3

~Two Weeks Later~

"Those in favor of conviction?"

I hold my breath as the members of the Wizengamot begin to raise their hands. Beside me I hear Malfoy counting them under his breath; he swears when they lower their hands before he gets to all of them.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?"

My head begins to swim as I watch a few hands raise. How could they be so blind? Anderson was guilty; there was not a doubt in my mind. After a moment, the hands fall and the Chief Warlock clears his throat.

"The Wizengamot has found the accused guilty of six counts of murder and torture. Sentencing will take place tomorrow at one o'clock. Until that time, the accused with be held by the Ministry in a holding cell. You are dismissed."

I let out a long sigh of relief, my eyes glancing at Malfoy just in time to see his shoulders relax. It was over. Anderson was going to Azkaban- for the rest of his pathetic life if we have our way.

"How'd I do?" Reed asks as he approaches us.

I give him a smile. "You did beautifully."

"Don't make him overconfident," Malfoy sneers. "Need I remind you that this twat is the reason he was released over the weekend and was able to double the charges brought to him?"

I watch as Reed's face pales and make a mental note to punch Malfoy in the face later. "Ignore him, Reed. You couldn't have known this would have happened. But it's over now. He was found guilty and he will, hopefully, never see the light of day again." A swift kick to Malfoy's leg under the table keeps him from responding.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he hisses after I have ushered Reed away.

"What do you mean 'what was that for'?" I snap. "Reed's got enough guilt over what happened; he doesn't need you adding on to it and making it worse. What's done is done and he needs to learn to accept that."

"Hey, well try explaining that to the families of the children Anderson was able to kill. I'm sure they'll see it your way."

"That is not fair and you know it!" I growl as I follow him out of the trial room and on to one of the elevators. "No one can be blamed for what happened to those children except for Anderson. He is a monster and he will never be able to hurt anyone else ever again."

"You're lucky we're alone or I'd never say this, Granger," Malfoy says as the doors close and we set off for Level Two of the Ministry, "but I hope to Merlin you are right."

* * *

"Ron, I'm home!" I call as I walk through the door to our flat. "The case is closed! Anderson was found guilty and he'll be sentenced tomorrow! How's about we go out and celebrate, huh?"

I walk through the kitchen to the living room, noticing no signs of my fiancé. I open the bedroom door to find the bed made and untouched. I toss my cloak on the bed and move to the closet, pulling my dress over my head and rolling down my pantyhose. I find a pair of sweatpants that don't smell dirty and pull them on with a shrug, followed by a simple t-shirt.

"Ron? Is that you?" I yell at the sound of the door opening.

"Yeah," is his bored response.

I hurry toward to meet him in the living room, my smile wide. "The case is closed and I am a free woman! Do you want to go out and do something? We can do anything you want."

"Honestly, Hermione, I'd rather just stay in tonight."

I try not to let my face fall. "Oh, okay, that's fine. I just thought it would be nice to get out of the flat since I've practically lived in my office for the past two weeks making sure we would nail this case. But it's fine! As long as I get to spend time with you."

Ron gives me a smile that I'm sure I'm only imagining is tight and forced. He brushes past me to the bedroom and I watch as he shuts the door to the bathroom behind him. I stare at the closed door for a moment before walking back to the living room and turning on the telly. I listen absentmindedly as I move to the kitchen, searching the cabinets for popcorn. I find it hidden behind a few bags of chips and silently curse Ron for having little to no organizational skills. I pop it in the microwave and glance at the TV screen. It's some movie I've seen a dozen times, but I can never seem to remember the name. I watch it without really seeing, snapping out of my haze only when the microwave dings.

I settle in on the couch and flip through the channels, hoping something good will catch my eye.

"Ron, is there anything you want to watch? I can't seem to find anything."

"What? Oh, no, I don't care. Actually, I'm gonna turn in early tonight. G'night," he calls from our bedroom.

I furrow my brows together and glance at the time. It is barely nine in the evening. Something is definitely wrong with him. I chew my popcorn slowly, analyzing Ron's mood. He should be thrilled that I'm home and willing to do practically anything with him. I haven't had a day off since the body count for the case doubled. Now I'm home. He should be ecstatic and bouncing off the walls, or at the very least helping me get rid of my pent up sexual tension. Merlin knows we haven't shagged in nearly two weeks, let alone have a _good_ shag.

I glance toward our closed bedroom door again. Making up my mind that tomorrow I'd figure out what's the matter with him- even if I have to beat it out of him- I relax into the cushions and continue my search to find something mildly interesting. I settle on a documentary about some ancient civilization and let the narrator's smooth voice lull me into a comfortable sleep.

0000000

Oh Merlin, what the hell did I do to my neck? I wake up in pain, my hand rubbing the back of neck in an effort to relieve some of the tightness. I sigh when I remember I fell asleep on the couch last night. The telly is still on, now playing some dull news station and my bag of popcorn as fallen to the floor, a few spare kernels scattered around it.

I stand up and stretch, cursing myself for sleeping so awkwardly, before stooping down and cleaning up my mess. I toss the bag in the trash and turn on the coffee maker when I start to yawn. This is my first day off in two weeks and I'll be damned if I sleep through it. I pull two mugs out of the cabinet and pour the hot coffee into them once it's finished brewing. With one mug in each hand, I make my way to the bedroom, pushing the door open with my foot.

Ron is still in bed. He is spread out like a starfish, the sheets tangled around him and snoring loudly. I smile to myself and place his mug on his bedside table before retreating from the room and heading back to the kitchen. I riffle through the frig as I sip my coffee. We're running low on groceries; I'll need to go shopping soon. Deciding against breakfast, I walk to our door and open it to collect our newspaper. I smile as I read the headline: **Christopher Anderson Found Guilty; Sentenced to be Decided Today**. It was nice knowing there was one less killer and predator out in the world.

I look up from the paper when I hear sounds of life from the bedroom; Ron's awake. I set the paper on the counter and walk back to the bedroom to find Ron sitting up and drinking his coffee.

"Thanks," he says when he sees me in the doorway. "I need this today."

I smile. "Big plans, huh?"

Ron's ears go read. "Uh, kinda, I guess."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Really? I didn't know you had something going on today; I was hoping we could do something. I took the whole day off."

"Don't you want to be at the sentencing?"

I shrug. "Reed will be there; he can fill me in. Besides, I haven't spent a lot of time with you recently because of this case. I wanted to fix that."

"Mhm."

"Ron, is something wrong? You're acting very… weird."

"I am not," he says defensively, setting down the mug and crossing his arms.

"Okay, easy. Didn't mean to offend you," I say with my free hand out toward him, palm face toward as a sign of peace. "Maybe I think that because you just woke up. You tend to be a little crabby in the morning."

"Whatever, Hermione," he grumbles, swinging his legs out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

I frown and follow him, leaning against the doorframe as I watch him wash his face. "How's training Sarah going?"

"Fine."

I pause, waiting for him to elaborate. He doesn't and instead moves to shut the door on me. I stand in shock long enough to hear the water of the shower running. My eyes narrow and I stalk out into the living room. I set my mug down on the small corner desk and pull out some parchment and a pen.

 _Ginny,_

 _Can you do lunch today? I need to get out of the flat._

 _Hermione_

I fold the letter in half before tucking it into an envelope. On the opposite side of the living room, Pig is sleeping soundly in his cage. I feel a small twitch of sympathy when he hoots sleepily at me as I stroke his feathers. I hate waking him up.

"Hey Pig," I coo softly when he shakes himself awake. "I've got a letter for you. Could you give it to Ginny, please?"

I offer the owl my arm and he hops on after accepting the letter from me. I carry him to the window, opening it when my free hand. Pig hoots at me again before stretching his wings and taking off in the crisp morning air. I watch him fly until I can no longer see him and then slowly shut the window. Behind me, I hear Ron stumble into the kitchen no doubt looking for food.

"I'm going to go grocery shopping today after lunch," I say when he reappears with toast in hand. "Care to join me?"

He shakes his head before slipping back into our bedroom.

I sigh. "Well is there again you'd like me to pick up?"

"No."

When he comes back out of the room he's carrying his Qudditch bag and his broom. I arch an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you practiced on Sundays."

"We don't usually, but I've been giving Sarah extra lessons," he says dismissively as he drops his things to lace up his boots. "I'm gonna be out all day so don't bother with making dinner for me."

"Oh, I just thought since we really didn't hang out last night, we could tonight… I hardly get any time off, you know."

"And whose fault is that?" he snaps.

I watch in stunned silence as he opens the door and storms out.

"Don't wait up!" he yells before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"Oh no, what did my idiot of a brother do this time?" Ginny asks the moment I take my seat across from her at our favorite café.

I shake my head and play with the silverware in front of me. "He was just in a mood this morning. Nothing unusual."

"Bullshit, Hermione Granger. Spill."

I sigh. I really don't want to drive a wedge between Ginny and her brother; the last thing I need is for Ron to blame me for the two of them fighting. Luckily our waiter makes an appearance and asks for our orders.

"The club sandwich and some black tea, please," Ginny says, her brown eyes still fixed on me.

"I'll just have a water and the soup of the day," I say, handing our menus over.

After a smile and a promise to have our food to us as soon as possible, my only hope of avoiding Ginny's questions disappears.

She folds her arms against her chest and raises an eyebrow. "Well, go on then. I'm ready to begin thinking of punishments for him."

"Gin, please. I hate getting in the way of you two; I feel like I'm tattling on him or something."

"Hermione, we are best friends. We are _supposed_ to complain about boys together. Merlin knows how many times I Apparated over to your flat crying because Harry and I had some silly spat. Right now, Ron is not my brother. He is my best friend's fiancé who I have every right to be pissed at solely because he made her upset. Now, on you get."

I smile at her. "It's just… you know how's he's been lately. Ever since I got my promotion we've been fighting. It's like he assumed nothing would change with my new job. I have more responsibilities now and I work on Saturdays. I think he's just got his wand in a knot because it seems like I'm never home."

"He should be happy for you; you've worked your bloody arse off for that job."

I nod. "I really have! And I wouldn't change a thing about it. I love everyone I work with. Well, with one notable exception."

Ginny's face contorts into a scowl. "I still can't believe Malfoy was offered Department Head. Isn't that typically reserved for older, more experienced witches and wizards?"

"Usually, yeah. But from what I've gathered, Malfoy got the position because he had a stellar application and recommendations. Apparently, someone argued that his past with Dark Wizards would help him think more like a criminal so he could gather new information that other wizards wouldn't necessarily think was relevant."

"Hmm," Ginny hums. "Not a bad thought, actually. Does he? Find new and better information, I mean."

I shrug. "I guess. He really is the first Head of Investigation I've had to work with so I wouldn't be able to notice too many changes with him. I mean, so far we have a pretty good conviction record, but it's only been a month at most."

"Still an ignorant ferret though, right?"

I laugh. "You have no idea."

Ginny smirks before her face becomes serious again. "Back to business. What are you going to do about my brother?"

"I don't know… Just wait for him to get over this, I suppose. Once his new tournament starts up next week I think he should be back to normal. Maybe he's just bored being at the flat all the time. I mean, the only time he really gets out is when he's practicing."

"Perhaps. You should sit him down and make him tell you what's going on in that thick head of his though. There is no way I'd tolerate this kind of shit from Harry, and you shouldn't either."

"You are absolutely right! I am going to give him a piece of my mind when he gets home tonight."

"Now there's the Hermione I know and love!" Ginny says with a toothy grin.

* * *

I glance at the clock again. It is a quarter past midnight, why on earth was Ron out so bloody late? I sip my wine slowly, my eyes locked on the door. Sitting at the kitchen table, I have several cases spread out before me and no motivation to work on any of them; I stopped looking at them an hour ago. My eyes narrow at the door, my patience wearing thin.

I stand, gulping down the last of my wine and placing the glass in the sink; I'd wash it in the morning. I return to the table and begin packing up my files. No use waiting for Ron here and getting a sore back. I'll wait for him in bed. Just when I finish stacking the cases, I hear the door open and whirl around to find Ron.

"Where the hell have you been?" I try not to wince at how my voice hitches and sounds like my mother's.

Ron's eyes narrow. "I was out; I told you not to wait up."

"Out where?"

"What is this, the fucking Spanish Inquisition?" he snarls as he slams the door and storms past me. "I don't need to tell you."

"Ronald Weasley! I am your bloody fiancé! I was worried about you!"

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it, don't you?" Ron yells, turning to look at me. "You don't get to start bossing me around just because you have one bloody night off, Hermione! Nor do you get to dictate where I go or when I come back!"

"What are you talking about? I just asked where you were for Christ's sake!"

"And I'm asking you to back off!"

My jaw locks and my eyes narrow. Fine. If he wants to fight, I can bloody well fight.

"What the fuck has gotten into you? You have been acting like a complete arse lately!"

"Well maybe I'm just sick and tired of my _fiancé_ ignoring me!"

"Ignoring you?! I've been working, Ron! I have a bloody job!"

"And I'm tired of hearing about it! Day in and day out it's 'my job this' and 'my job that'! I don't give a flying fuck about your promotion, Hermione! You are never home anymore, we haven't shagged in ages-"

"Is that what this is about?! Us not fucking _shagging_?"

"No, but it is certainly a contributing factor!"

I throw my hands in the air. "You are impossible!"

"So are you!"

Ron storms away from me and into the bedroom, but I am not nearly finished. I stalk after him, only to find myself tongue tied when I discover him throwing clothes into a bag.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he snaps. "I'm leaving; I've had enough of this shit."

He is throwing far too many clothes into that bag for this to be an overnight trip.

"When are you coming back?"

Ron stops and glares at me. "Why the fuck would you care?"

"Because I love you, you prick!"

He laughs without humor. "Yeah, right. Don't owl me." Then he turns on the spot and vanishes.


	4. Chapter 4

I stare at the spot where Ron vanished, unable to form proper thoughts, let alone words. My mouth hangs open, my eyes nearly bugging out of my head. He left. He actually Disapparated. My throat goes raw and my eyes feel itchy. Before I can stop myself a waterfall begins streaming down my face. A sob escapes my throat; it sounds like a wounded animal and is something I have never heard come out of my body before. Not even after the war.

I reach out for the bedpost to steady myself, but still find myself kneeling on the floor unable to control my emotions. I lurch forward as another sob shutters through my body. I glance around the room, hoping Ron will suddenly reappear. Instead, I find a discarded shirt of his laying forgotten on the floor. I crawl to it and pull it on. His smell wraps around me and I cry harder, curling myself into a ball.

My arms tighten around myself as I slowly rock myself back and forth in a desperate attempt to calm myself. Ron would come back. Maybe not right away. But he would. He had to.

* * *

My eyes crack open at the high-pitched beeping of my alarm clock. My arm flings out to shut it off, but it connects only with carpet. I sit up, startled, to find myself sleeping on the floor in Ron's shirt. Memories of our fight flood back to me and I force myself to focus on my alarm to stop the tears from leaking out of my eyes. I stand on shaking legs and shut off the alarm, instantly regretting it when I have nothing to distract myself with.

I pull off Ron's shirt and toss it aside as I hurry to the bathroom and turn on the shower. I strip down and jump in before the water is warm enough and quickly wash away Ron's scent. I scrub my face to erase the evidence of my tears and slowly count to one hundred before climbing out. Toweling off, I move to the closet and pull on a black sweater dress and tights. I work some moose into my hair to keep it from frizzing up as it dries and run through the flat to gather my things for work. I find no evidence of Ron having returned, and swiftly distract myself with thoughts of my current workload to stop from crying. I can't afford this right now.

My heels are by the door and I slip them on and fasten my cloak. With one last longing look at the flat, I hurry out the door, locking it behind me.

I focus on the clicking of my heels against the pavement as I move through the busy streets of London toward the Ministry of Magic. I make my way underground to the entrance of the building, grateful my position no longer requires me to "flush" myself in. I flash my security card at the wizards guarding the entrance and hurry inside.

"Hold the doors, please!" I call as I make my way to the elevators.

Someone holds the elevator doors open and I jump inside quickly, murmuring my thanks. A cool, female voice calls out the destination of Level Two after descending for a moment and making a few sharp turns. The metal doors pull back and I find April waiting for me, her clipboard at the ready.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. You have two meetings today-"

"Has Ron owled?"

April blinks when I interrupt her and glances down at her clipboard. "No, he hasn't. Would you like to send him an owl?"

I bite my lip and shake my head. "No, it's fine. What are my meetings today?"

I let my mind wander as April fills me in on my schedule for the day and thank her for her work before locking myself in my office. I dump my bag onto my desk and slump down into my chair. After a moment of deliberation, I grab some parchment set aside for Inter-Department Memos.

 _Harry,_

 _Could you stop by my office during your next available? Thanks._

 _Hermione_

I address the memo to the Auror Office and tap it with my wand. I watch it fold itself into an airplane and fly underneath my office door in search of Harry. I sit for a moment before giving myself a good shake and organizing my files. The Davis's case wasn't going to solve itself.

I search through the depositions, frowning and circling remarks as I go.

"April," I say into the intercom, my eyes still locked on the file. "Is Reed the head prosecutor for the Davis's case?"

"No, Miss Granger; it's Thompson. Would you like me to fetch her for you?"

"Oh no; I just wanted to make sure I sent my case notes to the right prosecutor. Thank you."

I finish reviewing the file and make a few comments on the bottom before tapping the folder with my wand and vanishing it to Thompson's office. I glance up at the sound of a fire and watch as green flames appear in the fireplace. A moment later, Harry steps through, dusting the ashes and soot off of him.

"Hey, Hermione. What do you have for me?" His cheerful smile falls after one look on my face.

"Ron… Ron walked out last night."

Harry's brows pull to together. He moves to my desk and sits in one of the chairs. "Like what he did a few weeks ago?"

"Not exactly. We had a huge fight, he packed a bag and said he wasn't coming back."

His mouth drops and his eyes narrow. "What the bloody hell was he thinking? Gin told me what you told her at lunch yesterday. He is completely off his rocker if he thinks blaming you for having a job you love is the sole reason you guys have been fighting."

"Well, I wasn't exactly pleasant last night-"

"I think you had a right to hand his arse to him, Hermione," Harry interjects.

I blink back tears and rub my eyes. "I don't know if he's coming back, Harry." My words are barely louder than a whisper, but Harry's face softens immensely upon hearing them. He leans forward and takes my hands, giving them a soft squeeze.

"It'll all work out, Hermione," he says gently. "Ron will come around and he'll apologize. He did last time. If he comes to my place, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind-"

"No, don't, please. I don't want him to think we're gaining up on him. He's mad enough as it is. He even told me not to owl him." I pull my hands from Harry's and fold them in my lap. "Harry… what if he _doesn't_ come back? We've never had a fight like this before. I mean, yeah we've fought and all, but never anything this big, you know?"

Harry stands and walks around to my side of the desk, pulling me to a standing position so he can hug me. I bury my face in his chest, my arms around his waist.

"It'll work out, Hermione," he says into my hair. "Just have a little faith, yeah?"

"Miss Granger? Your fin- sorry, Ronald Weasley is here to see you," April says into the intercom.

Harry pulls away and gives me a smile. "See? I told you. How's about I pop round for lunch, yeah? You can fill me in on everything then, okay?"

I nod and give him a small smile. "Thanks, Harry."

He nods and moves to the fireplace. Once he disappears in a rush of green flames, I fix my hair and tell April she can send Ron in.

He's wearing a fresh change of clothes and his hair is wet from a shower. His face is hard and passive, his jaw locked.

"Ron, I am so sorry-"

"I'm breaking up with you."

His words don't register at first and I stare at him blankly.

"What?" I finally manage to breathe out.

"We're over, Hermione. I've just come from the flat. My things are packed; I'm moving in with Kelley. I should have been clearer with you last night when I said I was leaving. I'd like my ring back now." He holds out his hand.

Instinctively, I cover my left hand with my right. I haven't removed my engagement ring since he proposed a little under a year ago. "Ron, I-I don't…"

He narrows his eyes at me. "I'm done with this relationship, Hermione. You don't have time for me anymore and you clearly care more about your job than me. You wouldn't have come in today if you didn't."

"Is that why you're doing this? Because I came into work instead of sobbing on our bed?" I snap, still refusing to return the ring.

"Well it's true, isn't? Hand it over; I haven't got all day."

"Ron, please, we can work this out; this isn't our first fight-"

"You're right. But it is going to be our _last_."

I can feel my tears threatening to spill. I _will not_ cry in front of him. I slip the ring off my finger, immediately missing the weight of it. I slowly hold it out and drop it in his hand. His fist closes around it and he nods grimly.

"Bye."

His last word is crisp and sharp. I can't bring myself to reply. I watch him go, focusing on nothing else but my desire to not to let him see me cry. The moment he shuts the door behind me, I turn to my intercom.

"April, cancel my meetings for today. I… I need some time to work on my final reports. Reschedule them for Thursday."

"Sure thing, Miss Granger."

I shut off the intercom and quickly cover my mouth with my hand as a sob bubbles up my throat. I lower myself to my chair, my free arm wrapping around my waist, as if that could keep me from falling apart. My eyes glance toward the fireplace. With a flick of my wand, I shut off the Floo Network so I won't get any surprise visits. Another swipe locks my door. I am completely alone.

I cross my arms on my desk and cry into the little nest they make, my shoulders shaking with every sob.

I'm not sure how long I cry, but eventually I hear a knock at my door.

"Hermione? It's Harry. You must have turned your Floo off. We're still on for lunch, yeah?"

I don't have the energy to physically unlock my door. I wave my wand and turn my head away as Harry waltzes in. I hear the door click shut almost immediately and the sound of his footsteps as he hurries to kneel beside me.

"Hermione? What happened?"

I turn to him and wrap my arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Harry's strong arms come up and wrap around me, pulling me onto his lap. His hands run up and down my back as he whispers soothing sounds in my ear, but I don't really hear the words.

"He br-broke it o-off," I cry. "H-he to-took the r-ring."

Harry's arms tighten around me, partly in anger and partly in sympathy.

"You can't stay here. I'm taking you home. Come on."

Harry pulls me to my feet, but doesn't let go of me. He turns us on the spot and we Disapparate.

* * *

 _ **Wedding of the Century: Cancelled**_

 _Ronald Weasley has confirmed that his marriage to Hermione Granger is officially cancelled with no reports of a reschedule. He told the Daily Prophet that he and Miss Granger have realized some "irreconcilable differences" in their personalities and have decided it would be best to end their five year relationship. Mr. Weasley claims the relationship came to an amicable end and both parties have agreed to begin "seeing other people". Although this announcement has been brought to media attention nearly two weeks after its occurrence, Mr. Weasley has already been frequently seen out in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds with Sarah Fisherman, the new Chaser on the Chudley Cannons. No word yet on how Miss Granger is taking the news of her ex-fiancé finding new love so quickly or if she too has a new romantic interest._

I crumble the newspaper into a ball and hurl it across the room.

"Miss Granger could not, and does not, give two shits about her ex-fiancé's new girlfriend," I mutter. "She, herself, is enjoying a relationship with two men simultaneously: the first named Ben and the other Jerry."

"You better watch where you say things like that," Ginny scolds. "Someone might actually believe you."

I look away from her and back at my ice cream. "Then the _Daily Prophet_ is more stupid that I originally thought." I pause and then glance up at her. "Is it true? Is Ron dating that _Chaser_?" I put too much emphasize on the last word. A more fitting position for that woman could not exist. I should look into a position as a bloody Beater.

Ginny shakes her head. "I asked Sarah about it the other night. Ron has apparently been trying to ask Sarah out on a proper date for a while; the _Prophet_ didn't mention that every time they've gone out together, the majority of the team has been with him. Sarah's girlfriend is starting to get very annoyed with the publicity."

I choke on my ice cream and cough. "Sarah's _girlfriend_?"

"Yep; they've been keeping their relationship a secret for a couple years now. I guess they were afraid of the news backfiring and ruining Sarah's career with the Wasps; their coach isn't exactly tolerate. But, now that the Cannons' coach has given her his full support, Sarah's actually gonna propose."

"Oh. That's great. Good for her."

Ginny reaches over and pats my arm. "I know you want someone to be mad at besides my piss-poor brother, but it looks like it's just him to blame. We can hate him together; it'll be fun!"

I give her a small smile and then look at the clock.

"It's getting late, Gin. You should probably head back to your place soon."

She sighs and eats the last of her own ice cream. "I know, but I hate leaving you alone."

I shrug. "I'm doing fine, honestly."

She arches an eyebrow and I blush. "Tell me the truth," she demands.

"I'm still upset and hurt and angry. But I'm getting better every day. It's been two weeks since he broke it off, but a whole eight days since I last cried. Baby steps, you know."

"Well, you know Harry and I are just an owl or Floo away, right? You aren't alone in this."

"And I can't thank you two enough for what you've done for me the past two weeks. I don't know what I'd do without the two of you."

She pulls me into a hug and holds me tightly. "We love you, Hermione. You don't need to thank us."

I hug her fiercely before pulling away. "I know. But honestly, thank you. Now, go on. I don't want to steal you from Harry any longer than necessary. Thank you for breaking the news of the article with me, and for the ice cream." I pause. "And for telling me about Sarah. I don't want to hate someone unnecessarily."

"Any time, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch with Harry, yeah?"

I nod.


	5. Chapter 5

I sigh and rub my eyes. The latest case to grace my office is almost to the level of the Anderson trial and it is slowly killing me. I glance to the clock and groan when I see the time is only six o'clock. I have accepted more hours now that I have no one to return home to. While I am enjoying my work, I am emotional and physically exhausted. Leaning back in my chair, I let my eyes flutter shut. Surely a quick nap wouldn't kill me…

"Miss Granger?"

April's voice from the intercom makes me jump in my chair, causing me to hit my knees against my desk.

"Ah shit," I hiss at the pain. "Yes, April?'

"Mr. Malfoy is here to see you."

Well isn't that perfect. "Yes, all right, send him in."

I smooth my blouse and adjust the files on my desk as the door to my office swings open. Malfoy strolls in sans robes, wearing nothing but black slacks and a white button up shirt. I envy his attire, unconsciously fixing my skirt as it rides up my legs when I cross them.

"Evening, Granger," he says as he flops into one of the chairs in front of me. He leans forward and places the two wine glasses I didn't notice he carried in on my desk.

I arch an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Malfoy conjures a bottle of champagne with his wand and sets in on the desk besides the glasses. "Today's the day, Granger. Anderson's final appeal has been denied and as we speak he is being admitted to Azkaban. I believe this calls for celebration, don't you?"

I can't help the small smile that forms on my face. "That does sound lovely, Malfoy, but I could hardly condone drinking on the job. Or _at_ the job."

Malfoy's lips pull back in a sneer. "Still the goodie-goodie two-shoes from school I see. All right, Granger. Name a place. You are the only semi-sane person still working and I refuse to look like a pathetic loser drinking alone. Besides, I think we deserve to celebrate."

I scoff. "What about Reed? He was the prosecutor of the case."

"I said semi-sane, Granger. Reed is an idiot and besides, he left early today. Had a date with his wife or something like that." He rolls his eyes. "So, are you coming or not?"

I look back at the cases in front of me. "I don't know, Malfoy. I agreed to take on more hours at work ever since-"

He arches an eyebrow. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Granger. Live a little. When was the last time you went out?"

"I go out-"

"Sorry, went out and had anything remotely resembling _fun_? I'd venture a guess and say not for five or so years."

"Hey! Do not bring my relationship with Ron into this!"

He shrugs and grabs the bottle to open it. "You're the one who mentioned him, not me."

I watch as he taps the cork with his wand, vanishing it from sight. He grabs one of the glasses and pours himself some champagne before setting the bottle aside and taking a sip.

"Come on, Granger. Don't let me be the only one drinking here."

"No, I don't think so. I do not like the idea of drinking on the job. And you brought Ron up by implying our relationship was boring- you started it not me."

Malfoy tilts his head to the side. "And yet, here you are- continuing to bring him up. I was willing to move on from that. It would appear that you are not."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Don't be a prick in _my_ office, Malfoy."

"Well then, why don't you come to mine so I can continue insulting you and Weasel? It's more fun for me."

"Some of us actually have _work_ to do."

Malfoy scoffs and drinks the rest of the champagne in his glass. "Please, Granger. I have work, I'm choosing to ignore it for the moment. My first case as Department Head is officially over; Anderson has not one, not two, but _three_ life sentences in Azkaban, and I have a great bottle of champagne. Why on earth would I want to do anything else but drink it?"

I roll my eyes and push the glass he brought me closer to him so I won't be tempted. "Unfortunately, I can't afford to do that right now. The department just took on another two big cases, not to mention the Chief Warlock is thinking about accepting more trivial cases to make sure 'all of the Wizarding World receives justice, not just the big and mighty' so I have to deal with that too."

Malfoy groans and vanishes the glasses and the champagne. "If you wanted my help, all you had to do was ask."

"Your help? I do not need or want _your_ help, Malfoy."

"Merlin, what's gotten into you, Granger? It is your time of the month? No need to be so rude."

I open my mouth to give a witty retort when I stop in my tracks. Time of the month. I should be on my period right now. Right? Merlin, I need to keep track of that better. I ignore Malfoy and start counting the days back in my head. 1…2…3…4…5…

"Um, hello? Earth to Granger? Can you hear me under all that frizz you call hair?"

"Shut up, Malfoy, I'm counting."

"Counting? Counting what?"

"Just shut up will you?"

28…29…30…31…

Malfoy begins tapping his foot impatiently. He breathes heavily through his nose, his face cross.

35…36…37…38… shit.

"What?"

I look up at him, startled.

"You just said 'shit,' Granger. I'm asking why you said that. Conversations are typically two way, you know."

"I need to go out."

Malfoy's face breaks out into a smile. "Now you're talking!"

"What? No, no! I need to go to a drug store."

"A what?"

I ignore him as I quickly gather my things, shoving some case files into my bag.

"Slow down Granger, where's the fire?"

I glance up at him in shock. "How do you know that phrase? It's a Muggle saying."

"Granger, my secretary is a Muggleborn," he says dryly.

"Oh, right. I knew that."

I pull on my cloak, muttering profanities under my breath when I skip a button and have to start all over.

"I am quite amused by this," Malfoy says with a smirk. "This 'drug store' has got you quite worked up, hasn't it? I think I'll accompany you there."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy," I huff.

I glance up at him to discover him already wearing his coat with that stupid smirk on his face.

"Don't you have work to bring home?" I ask in a desperate attempt to fend him off.

"Nope. Come on, Granger. Show me this 'drug store'."

I groan and swing my bag over my shoulder. "Fine, but I swear to Merlin, Malfoy if you make me regret this…"

"Granger, please. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh plenty, I assure you."

* * *

"Oi, Granger! Look at all the liquor they've got! And food! I thought you said this was a drug store."

I groan, covering my face with my hand. Malfoy would be surprised to find other things than drugs in a bloody Walgreens.

"Yes, I know, Malfoy. Now keep your voice down!"

I move away from him toward the back of the store, praying he doesn't follow me. This is embarrassing enough without him hounding me. I quickly find the aisle I need and grab the first pregnancy test I see. I couldn't give a damn about price or quality; I'll charm it to make sure I don't get a false positive. I hurry back to the cash register, opting for a self-checkout. I scan the test as fast as possible and hide it away in the plastic bag, swiping my card before Malfoy can see my purchase. Breathing a sigh of relief, I grab the bag and make a break for the door.

"Granger! You planning on leaving without me?"

I turn to find Malfoy will his arms full with various candies, liquor and Muggle school supplies.

"What the hell do you need all that for?" I ask in shock as he sets them down at an empty cash register.

He shrugs. "I wanted to see how much money I could get you to spend in your flustered state, but it appears you've already checked out."

"Well are you going to buy that stuff?"

"Of course not," he scoffs. "I don't carry Muggle money."

He brushes past me and holds open the door. When I don't move, he whistles for me like a dog.

"Today, please!"

"I really do not have the patience for your attitude, Malfoy," I hiss as I storm past him.

"Then why aren't you just Apparating away?"

"My flat has wards against. You can't Apparate into it or into the building, but you can Disapparate. It forces me to at least walk home from the Ministry."

Malfoy arches a blonde eyebrow and shakes his head. "I will never understand you, Granger."

We round the corner and my heart stops. _Daily Prophet_ reporters are camped outside my apartment complex. This is actually the last thing I need in the middle of a pregnancy scare.

"Fuck," Malfoy whispers to himself. "The last thing we need is for them to think we're together or something equally absurd."

I glare up at him. "Oh yes, the Pureblood Prince wouldn't dare touch the filthy Mudblood commoner, now would he?"

Malfoy's lips pull back into a growl. "Watch it, Granger. Or I might do something I'll regret."

"Go on," I hiss. "Wouldn't be the first time you make a complete and total arse of yourself!"

I see the flash of Malfoy's hand but it doesn't grab me. Instead, he latches onto my plastic bag, tearing a hole in it and grabbing the box I had done my best to hide from him.

"Malfoy, don't!"

Too late. The box is in his hand, shock clear on his face.

"You're pregnant."

"Well I don't know, hence the fucking test," I hiss, snatching the box back and stuffing it into my pocket, the ripped bag forgotten on the ground.

Malfoy glances back up at the reporters who haven't noticed us yet.

"Give me your bag," he says suddenly.

"What? No!"

Malfoy lets out a growl and grabs the strap of my bag. "Listen Granger, do you want to get into your apartment without causing a scene, or not?"

"I won't cause too much of a scene if _you_ weren't here," I snarl.

"Yes, but I am, so deal with it."

"No! Why don't you just go home?"

"Because," he says as he reaches into my bag despite my protests and pulls out one of the case files, "this is more fun."

"Fun? You think diving into reporter infested waters is _fun_?"

"Just trust me, would you?"

Before I can properly explain to him and _no_ I most certainly do _not_ trust him, Malfoy grabs my arm and ushers me toward the front doors of my apartment building. Just as the first reporters see us coming, Malfoy holds up the case file to block our faces. He pulls me through the crowd to the door and practically shoves me inside once I unlock the door.

"What was the point of that?" I hiss as he pulls me away from the windows.

"They won't be able to print any of those pictures and what's a story without photographic evidence?"

"What do you mean they won't be able to print those pictures?"

Malfoy holds up the file, showing me the Ministry's symbol. "The _Prophet_ can't print anything with this symbol on it; that way they can't accidentally or purposefully reveal official documents from the Ministry. The minute they took those pictures of us, the camera destroyed the image."

My eyes widen. "Seriously?"

"How do you think I've avoided having my picture taken for so long? I usually carry one of these on me at all times."

"That… that is actually pretty smart."

"Yeah, thanks Granger. Good to know you have so much confidence in me."

I glare at him as we step into the elevator. "Why are you even still here?" I snap.

He shrugs and leans against the wall. "Don't know. I like pissing you off though, and this seems like a good way to do it."

"I really can't deal with you right now, Malfoy. Just leave, will you?"

"Have it your way then."

I watch him turn on the spot and Disapparate, breathing a sigh of relief once he's gone.

The elevator doors open and I exit swiftly, heading to my flat and opening the door. I lock it behind me, biting back my initial reaction to call out and see if Ron is home. I really need to stop doing that. I drape my cloak over a chair and turn the pregnancy test over in my hands as I slowly make my way to the bathroom. It doesn't seem too complicated.

I take a deep breath and sit down on the toilet, ripping open the box and pulling out the small plastic stick. I wave my wand over it to make sure it won't give me a false positive. I try to think happy thoughts as I hold the stick under me and do my best not to pee on my hands.

Once I finish I set the stick down to wash my hands. Again. And again. Then curiosity gets the better of me and I pick it back up.

I stare down at the plastic stick in my hands. Two minutes suddenly feels a lot longer than usual. Biting my lip, I look up at the mirror. My face is pale, my hair disheveled. I look like I haven't slept in days, and unfortunately that is the case.

I put down the stick as if it has burned me, resting it on the ledge of the sink. My eyes dart toward the bathroom door, unconsciously moving my thumb to my mouth so I can bite my nail. After a moment I realize what I'm doing and quickly stop, dropping the hand to hold my neck, my other arm wrapped around my waist.

My eyes glance back at the stick and I reach out for it slowly as if it were a wild animal. I suck in a deep breath and hold it up to my face so I can see the results.

Two pink lines.

I'm pregnant.

My first reaction is to scream. Violently and loudly. I drop the stick to the floor, panic coursing through my body. I can't be pregnant. I… I just _can't_ be.

I run to the living room and throw Floo powder into my fireplace. I'm not thinking as I call out Harry's address and step into the flames. In a swirl of green and heat, I find myself sitting in the middle of ash and soot in the Potter residence.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?"

Harry's hands find mine and he pulls me to my feet, helping me dust off my clothes.

"I-I… I need to talk to you. And Ginny."

Harry's brows pull together. "Yeah, sure thing. Ginny! Come down to the living room, will you?"

I hear footsteps from deeper in the house and then see Ginny round the corner. "Hermione?" She glances between Harry and me. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

I can't help the tears. I'm distraught and angry and surprised and nervous and it all is too much right now. Instantly, Harry and Ginny wrap their arms around me, whispering soothing things to me; their arms are the only things that are keeping me upright.

"What happened?" Harry asks as they guide me to a chair. "Was it Ron?"

"Yes and no," I sob.

"Well what does that mean?" Ginny asks.

I cover my face in my hands. "I'm pregnant."

Stunned silence is my only reply.

"It's Ron's, isn't?" Ginny asks.

I nod, my shoulders beginning to shake as I do my best to control my emotions.

"Have you told him?"

"No! I just found out."

"Are… are you _going_ to tell him?" Harry asks.

"I'll have to eventually, won't I?" I ask, my tears turning into sniffles. "I mean, he's going to find out soon or later."

"What are you going to do?"

"I… I don't know."

"That is perfectly all right," Ginny says soothingly, taking my hands in hers. "You don't need all the answers right now. Tell us what you want us to do. Would you like one of us to tell Ron?"

"I… I suppose that would be all right. But not yet. I need some time… time to figure out what I'm going to do. I'll let you know when to tell him."

"In the meantime," Harry interjects, "you might want to see a doctor; you know, get everything checked out."

"I can't go to St. Mungo's- it would make the front page of the _Prophet_!"

"Don't worry; you can go to a Muggle doctor. We'll even go with you if you'd like."

"Would you? Please?"

"Of course, Hermione. We're going to be here for you."


	6. Chapter 6

Two months. I am nearly two months into my pregnancy. I feel Harry's hand tighten around mine at the news. The doctor looks at our hands and smiles.

"First time?"

"Uh? Oh yeah, but we're not together," I say quickly. "He's here for moral support."

"Ah, sorry; my mistake." She returns to looking at the screen. "Well, everything is looking good so far. Your baby is the right position and the blood flow appears normal." she pauses for a moment and then smiles. "Hear that?"

There is a drumming sound coming from the machine, steady if not a little faint.

"Is that…?"

"Yes," she says. "That's your baby's heartbeat."

My free hand goes to my mouth, a few tears glistening at the corners of my eyes. My baby has a heartbeat.

Harry smiles at me and squeezes my hand again.

The doctor moves away from me to set aside her tools and I can no longer hear the beating of my child's heart; I already miss it. She hands me a tissue and I wipe off my stomach before sitting up completely and pulling my shirt down.

"When should I come back for another appointment?"

"Well, you're still very early into your pregnancy, but everything looks like it is going well. I'd like to see you once a month until you hit about 28 weeks. Then we can move the visits up to every two weeks and then every week once you hit the 36 week mark. You can schedule your next appointment at the front desk before you leave."

"Thank you."

Harry and I gather our things after the doctor exits. We move out of the small room and slowly make our way back to the front desk. He sits in one of the waiting chairs as I speak with the receptionist to schedule my next checkup. She hands me a slip of paper with the date on it, as well as a list of what to expect in the upcoming weeks. I feel Harry's arm slip through mine as I stare at the information packet. He leads me to the door and we exit out into the parking lot.

"So, how are you feeling?" he asks as we start walking away.

"I… Better, actually. I like having a plan with this. Or at least, something resembling a plan."

Harry nods and looks both ways before we cross the street, slowly making our way back to the Ministry.

"What are you going to tell Ron?"

I sigh and don't meet his eyes. "I don't know. I don't want to tell him yet, though. I still need time with this. It's a big adjustment, you know. And… well I just don't want to see him right now. I mean, it's only been three weeks since he broke it off and frankly I'm not ready to be in the same room as him and tell him that I'm pregnant with his child."

"I understand. Just let Ginny or I know when you want us to tell him and we'll do it."

"Thank you, Harry. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you two."

He simply smirks in response as we head underground to the Ministry's entrance. We flash our IDs and head inside before heading off in opposite directions.

* * *

"Hey mum, it's me," I say when the landline at my childhood home goes to voicemail. "Everything's fine, I just need to talk to you and dad whenever you get a chance. I'm going to be at the office for the rest of the day, so I'll just try you when I get home, okay? Love you."

I hang up the phone and step outside the phone box, giving the man waiting on me an apologetic smile. My arms wrap around my body as I head back into the café, searching the crowd for Ginny. She's sitting in the back next to a blonde; they smile when I approach the table and sit down.

"Hello Hermione," Luna Lovegood says dreamily. "How have you been?"

I shrug and pull my arms out of my cloak before hanging it over my chair. "All right, I suppose. How's everything with you?"

"Quite wonderful, actually. Rolf just proposed last month. I'm ever so excited. His grandfather was Newt Scamander, you know."

I raise my eyebrows at this and look at Ginny. "No, I didn't. That's exciting. When's the wedding?"

To my surprise, Luna simply shrugs. "We haven't picked a date yet. Or a year. Rolf and I want to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack before the wedding; it will bring our marriage good luck you know."

I smile politely and nod. I like Luna, but I've never been able to really get past her strange fascination with creatures that no sane witch or wizard had ever laid eyes on. I join her and Ginny for lunch every so often, but I don't particularly make a habit of it.

"So, Hermione," Ginny says, thankfully turning the conversation away from Luna's fictitious animals. "Give us the latest news from the Office of the Senior Secretary to the Chief Warlock. Any particularly big or exciting cases?"

"You know I'm not allowed to discuss my cases until they are finalized and publicized. Besides, I don't know why you all seem so interested in my job; it is hardly as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be."

"According to _Witch Weekly_ it must be fairly glamorous, considering you work in close quarters with Draco Malfoy," Luna interjects. "You are the envy of witches everywhere."

"Me? Because I 'work in close quarters with Malfoy'? As if!" I chuckle. "Malfoy and I see each other maybe once or twice a week, and only sometimes in the actual courtroom. Which is good news for me; Merlin knows I can only take so much of him."

"I thought you said he's gotten better from how he was in school," Ginny says. "If he's not, I could always go hex him for you; I'd like the target practice."

"He is loads better from when we went to Hogwarts," I admit. "But he is still arrogant and sarcastic. And a bit of a snob."

"Don't forget the most eligible bachelor in Great Britain."

I choke on my tea and look at Luna. "Sorry? Did you just say _Malfoy_ is the most eligible bachelor in Britain? Where on earth did you read that?"

"It was the same article in _Witch Weekly_ ," she says simply. "Daddy didn't quite agree with a few of the other names on the list though, so the _Quibbler_ is going to release its own list next month."

Ginny and I share a look.

"Well come on, then," Gin says when Luna doesn't elaborate. "Who's gonna be on the _Quibbler's_ list?"

Luna taps her chin and hums softly. "Don't know, really. I just know that Daddy didn't like the number four slot in _Witch Weekly_ and that started his idea to redo it." She gives me a sympathetic smile. "Neither Daddy nor I thought Ron should have been anywhere on that list."

"Ron was number four?!"

A few other patrons in the café turn and give me strange looks at my outburst, but I can't be bothered.

"Mhm. Once the news broke of Sarah's engagement with her longtime girlfriend, all the magazines realized Ron was one hundred percent single. As Keeper for a professional Qudditch team and best friend to Harry Potter, he, unfortunately, was going to make the list. Don't worry though, Hermione; you are number two on the Most Eligible Bachelorette List."

I bite back my initial reaction to spit out my tea. "Who the hell comes up with these lists?"

Luna shrugs. "No idea. Daddy said you should have been number one, but I told him that I didn't think you were necessarily ready or looking for a new relationship right now. He is still considering making a new list for the bachelorettes too."

Ginny smirks into her drink at my expression. "Who beat Hermione out for the number one spot?"

"Uh, Parvati Patil I think. She and her American boyfriend broke up two months ago and I guess the American wizards have been going crazy for her."

* * *

I sigh when I kick off my heels and shut the door to my flat. Today took more out of me than I thought. Dropping my keys in the bowl, I head further into the flat, shedding various articles of clothing on my way to the bathroom.

The heat of the shower is therapeutic and a relief to my back muscles. I roll my shoulders a few times under the jet of water in an attempt to work out the knots that I know are forming. As I stand underneath the water, my hands move to my stomach. It still looks the same to me- and it would continue to do so for a few more months. I try to picture myself with a child. With Ron's child.

I frown at the thought of Ron as a father. He travels too much for Qudditch during its season and his team is always on the lookout for new tournaments to play during the off-season to improve their record. Would he even be around enough for a child? Even just for the weekends? Would he _want_ to be?

We never discussed the topic of children; I guess we both knew we were too young for them. Merlin, I still think I'm too young to be a mother; my career is just starting and I want to be Chief Witch of the Wizengamot before I'm 35…

But then the image of a child crying "Mummy!" flashes before my eyes. A little girl with my eyes and wild hair laughing as I chase her around the living room. A little boy curled in my arms as I read him a bedtime story, his little fingers following along with the words until he can say them himself. Tears spring to my eyes and I smile, grateful for once they aren't tears of sadness or frustration. It is then that the realization dawns on me.

I _want_ to be a mother. I want this child.

My hands interlock over my stomach as if my fingers are a gate, protecting my unborn baby from the rest of the world. Those who will claim I can't be a good mother; that I care more about my career over my family; that a child shouldn't be raised in a single mother household. I'll show them.

I step out of the shower, my revolve firm. As I am pulling on a pair of my favorite pajamas, my landline begins to ring. I hurry to pull my shirt over my head and race to the living room where the receiver is.

"Hello?" I say slightly out of breath.

"Hermione? It's your mum and dad; you're on speaker. I know you said you'd call when you got back from the office, but it's already half-past seven-"

"Slow down, Jean; if her a chance to speak," my dad laughs. "How was work, honey? Did you get home late?"

"Oh, you know; same old, same old," I say, lowering myself to the couch. "Nothing too extraordinary. And yeah; I accepted more hours so I don't typically get home until 6:30 or 7, but some days I stay even later."

"You should be careful about that," mum interjects. "You'll work yourself to the bone if you don't get time off."

"Yeah, about that. I, uh, I have something to tell you two…"


	7. Chapter 7

I smile down at the black and white image in my hands. My baby is curled on his or her back, their legs tight to their chest, their arms a little more free to move about. Although this checkup is only my second, I look forward to all the others so I can watch my baby grow. One hand moves from the picture to my stomach, cradling the spot where my doctor said my baby was sitting. Knowing that I have an image for the being inside me makes me smile even larger.

"Miss Granger?"

I quickly hide the picture in the pocket of my blazer and glance up at my office door.

"Yes, April?"

"You have a conference call with Mr. Malfoy in five minutes. He wants to discuss the progress on the Madison case; the file is in your top left drawer. After that, you have a meeting with the Chief Warlock at four."

"Great, thank you."

I pull open the drawer she mentioned and grab the file on top. Malfoy has recently insisted on weekly conference calls to discuss the weak points in our cases so he can direct Aurors and H.I.T. Wizards as need be. As much as it pains me to admit, it is a rather brilliant idea and has led to us being much more organized and cohesive in the courtroom.

I flip through the testimonies and depositions as I wait for Malfoy's call. We need more physical evidence with this case; the majority of it is heresy. I frown and flip to the back to the log of evidence. Something is not adding up here…

I press the accept button on the intercom the moment it rings, still not looking up from the folder.

"Malfoy, we've got a situation here."

"Don't even get me started on it, Granger-"

"No, I mean a _huge_ issue. I think we're missing one of the pieces of evidence that was previously logged."

I hear shuffling of paper as Malfoy digs through his own file. "What do you think is missing?"

I tap my pen against the desk before standing and moving around my office; I think better when walking. "I don't remember, I just know there was something else… Do we have a record of the first Aurors on the scene?"

"Of course we do. It was, uh…. Harrison Tyler, Olivia Hudson, Keith Willis and…. well that's odd."

"Odd? What's odd?" I ask, turning to look at the intercom as if Malfoy can see me giving him my full attention.

"There are only three Aurors listed, but I always send an even number into the field at once. I don't like the idea of one man being alone during a raid. I would have sent a fourth person."

"You didn't make a mistake?"

"Are you honestly insinuating that I am _capable_ of making a mistake?"

I laugh. "You are only human, Malfoy. Or at least, I assume you are human."

There is a chuckle on his side and I smirk.

"I can contact Harry; he should have records of Aurors being sent into the field," I say as I make my way back to my desk. "Do you want me to add him to the call or just send him a memo?"

"For the love of Merlin, do _not_ add him to this call. I can only handle so much Gryffindor at one time, thank you very much."

"See, now I think I should add him just to piss you off."

"Do it and I'll hang up. I can find out which Auror is missing from this report without the two of you."

I roll my eyes but grab a memo parchment. I scribble the letter to Harry and address it to his office before tapping it with my wand and wanting it fly under my door. "Okay, princess, I just sent him the memo so you don't have to worry about me adding him. Although, what is the point of calling this a 'conference'call if only two people are on the line?"

"I heard it in a Muggle film once and it sounded impressive. Just be happy I know how this damn thing works! I think I deserve the right to call it whatever I want."

"Don't you dare lie to me! I know she's in there!"

I glance up to my office door at the sound of an outburst. I pride my department on being a place of peace and relative silence. Any sort of yelling is definitely out of the ordinary.

"A bloody memo just flew out from underneath her door! Now let me in!"

"What the hell is going on over there, Granger?"

"I'm not sure; someone is screaming outside-"

Suddenly, my office door slams open and in walks Ron, looking more furious than I have ever since him.

"Ron?" I'm more shocked than anything. It's been over a month since I last saw him and maybe two weeks since I honestly _thought_ about him. "What… what are you doing here?"

"You're fucking pregnant?!"

I can feel the color drain from my face. "When… how-who told you?"

I was very, very specific with Harry and Ginny. They were not supposed to tell Ron until _after_ I had prepared what I was going to say to him. No one outside of them or my parents knew about the pregnancy. Except, _maybe_ Malfoy considering he saw me buy the test, but he never asked about the result.

Ron throws a newspaper at me. The headline reads: **Hermione Granger: She's expecting!** Below it, I see a picture of me walking out of the women's clinic this morning after my second appointment. There is a zoomed in look at the packet of information I'm carrying. Information about prenatal care… I didn't even see the _Prophet_ reporter. They must have just happened upon me; I was discreet about getting to the clinic, but not so much about leaving it…

"Well?" Ron hisses when I look up at him. "Is it mine?"

My face contorts in disgust. "How dare you imply I was anything but faithful to you during our relationship!"

His jaw sets. "So it is, huh? When were you planning on telling me?!"

"I was waiting for the right time! I needed to sort everything out!"

He laughs and prowls around my office. "Sort what out, Hermione? How you were going to cut me out of my kid's life?"

"That's absurd, Ron and you know it! You had just felt me and I found out I was pregnant with your child! I was distraught! I wasn't _ready_ to tell you!"

"You want to know why you're going to make a shit mother?" he spits. "Because you don't know how to fucking communicate and take responsibility for your _mistakes_!"

His words stun me and I can't reply.

"If you had been up to date on your potion, this mess would have never happened! It's your own damn fault that you got pregnant. But I refuse to let _my_ kid suffer for _your_ mistake. I'm taking your arse to court Hermione. Once that baby is born, it is living with me so you can't fuck it up!"

"That is _enough_ , Weasel."

I turn to find Malfoy standing in front of my fireplace, dust and ash surrounding him. I didn't see or hear him Floo in.

"Stay out of this, ferret," Ron spits. "This doesn't concern you."

I watch as Malfoy steps forward so he and Ron are nearly chest to chest. Malfoy is half a head taller than Ron and he uses his height to his full advantage as he glares down at him. "I will not ask you again, Weasley. Get out."

"Make me!"

It happens so quickly, but suddenly Malfoy has Ron by the collar and he's dragging him from my office. He shoves Ron out into the hallway, watching with satisfaction as the redhead tumbles to the floor. "Have security get him out of here," he hisses at April.

"Don't bother!" Ron shouts. "I was just leaving." He leans past Malfoy to get one last look at me. "I'm not gonna let you fuck up my kid!"

"Give me a reason, Weasley, I beg of you," Malfoy hisses as he steps in between us, successfully blocking me from Ron's line of vision.

I don't see Ron walk off, but I do see Malfoy turn back toward me to walk in my office and shut the door. Ron's words are still vibrating against my skull and the emotions I was doing my best to hide from him start rolling down my cheeks.

"Not here," Malfoy says suddenly. "I don't trust him to stay away for long."

I feel him leading me to the fireplace and gently pushing me inside with him and calling out his for his office. I don't register us traveling, nor do I feel Malfoy guiding me through his office and thrusting a glass of water into my shaking hands.

"Drink that."

I do as he asks, but end up dropping the glass to the floor when more tears come. I don't care who it is right now, but I _need_ someone to hold me. I see the panicked look on Malfoy's face when I reach out for him and bury my face in his chest, muffling my tears. He backs up slightly in shock and hits his desk, but my arms around his waist keep me connected to him as I sob. Slowly, I feel one of his hands come up and stroke my hair, the other I can see griping his desk tightly. I watch through my tears as his grip loosens and that arm comes to wrap around me, holding me to his chest as his other hand continues its path through my hair.

"He's wrong, you know," Malfoy says softly when my crying has slowed to sniffles. "You are _not_ going to be shit mother."

"You can't know that, though. No one can!"

"Hey, listen to me." Malfoy's hands move to my shoulders. He gently pushes me away from him so he can look me in the eyes. "Weasley is an arrogant pick, all right? He's probably jealous that you didn't come chasing after him when he left you and even more so now that he knows your pregnant. He _wants_ to see you upset."

"But that doesn't make what he said untrue!"

"Granger. Listen to yourself!" He gives me a soft shake. "Since when have you ever let someone else define who you are or what you're capable of? I said awful things about you in school. And here you are, Senior Secretary to the Chief Warlock and on your merry way to having his job when he retires! Weasel is just another stupid arsehole you get to have the pleasure of proving wrong. Do you know why I'm so confident you are going to be a good mother?"

I shake my head, my hands coming up to wipe away the trials of tears on my face.

"Because I know you, Granger. Or, at the very least, your habits. You are going to buy and read every pregnancy and motherhood book you can get your hands on. You are going to plan how to balance your child with your job; you are going to conquer this just like every other obstacle you have ever faced."

"This is one obstacle I don't think I can handle on my own."

"Granger, you literally have your pick of the lot when it comes to people helping you. Pothead, Weaselette, and any other oaf from your house. Hell, Granger, I'd fucking help you." He pauses. "Actually that's not a bad idea."

"What?"

"Me. Let me help you."

"With what? Killing Ron?"

He laughs. "As fun as that sounds, no. Let me help you with your kid."

"Malfoy how on earth do you propose to 'help me' with my child?" I ask, stepping away from him now that I no longer feel the need to have someone holding me. My hands go to my stomach without thinking.

"Well, for starters, I can pick up some of the work from your office. You're going to need to take time off when you actually have the kid; I can help cover for you so the department doesn't think about hiring someone else. Plus, I can work from my flat. Say hello to your babysitter."

"Malfoy, I have Harry and Ginny-"

"Who are _married_ , Granger. Aren't they gonna want to have their own baby? Besides, Potter is Head of the Auror Department; he won't exactly be free and willing to babysit after a long day of catching Dark Wizards. Plus, his days off are few and kinda in-between, aren't they?"

"I don't know…"

"Did I also mention that I am the Head of the Investigation Department? You know, the department that will be checking up on you and Weasley during the custody battle he apparently wants?"

"Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest if you were reviewing my case and were babysitting my child?"

"Ah ha! So you do want me to be your babysitter!"

"What? I never said that!"

He smirks. "It would be a conflict of interest yes, but only _after_ the lawsuit has begun. I can assign someone to being assessing yours and Weasel's ability to provide a good and sable home for your child quite literally within the hour and I can keep you informed on Weasel's file until the actual case begins."

I chew my lower lip and look away from him. His offer is very tempting...

"Why are you offering all this, Malfoy?" I ask suddenly. "What's in it for you?"

"Quite a few things actually. You keeping your job does me a big favor because I won't have to worry about a new Senior Secretary coming in and ruining my flow. Not to mention babysitting your kid would give me some _positive_ publicity for once. And the fact that I spend time with a baby might take me down off the 'Most Eligible Bachelors List' because most of the witches who write that stuff hate kids, which would hopefully stop the frankly alarming amount of fan mail I receive. And let me think, there was one more… as yes: I'd honestly hate to see Weasel be anywhere near your child because in my opinion, which I will admit is a little biased, he is too unfit to look after himself, let alone an infant."

"Is that really it?"

"Oh, I almost forgot: I need your baby in order to sacrifice it to resurrect Voldemort. Honestly, Granger, what were you expecting me to say?"

And just like that, I laugh and the dark clouds covering my day seem to disappear. "I don't know; something to that effect I guess."

"Granger; we've been working together for over three months and we've been relatively civil for a year or more. What's the worst that could happen?"


	8. Chapter 8

"What's the worst that could happen?" I repeat. "Loads, Malfoy."

He arches an eyebrow and crosses his arms against his chest. "Name some for me."

I stare at him. "Ron could use your presence to convince the courts that I'm fraternizing with Dark Wizards."

"Unbelievable." Malfoy turns his back to me and walks to the other side of his desk, shaking his head. "Granger, would I have this position if I was thought to be a Dark Wizard? If I was found associating with Dark Wizards?"

"No, but-"

"But what? I won't deny that I was a Death Eater. There is the scar on my arm to prove it for the rest of my life. But it's been five years Granger. My father is a convicted Death Eater as well, but my mother was hailed as a hero for what she did in the Forbidden Forest for Potter. I have spent the last five years of my life trying to prove that I can be more like her. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, don't you?"

"What about the _Prophet_? You didn't even want them to see us walk into my apartment complex together!"

"For both of our sakes. Did you really want an article out there saying you were seen entering your flat with _me_? That was some publicity neither one of us needed nor wanted. Not to mention you and Weasel broke up only three weeks prior to that! If how he acted in your office is his response to conceiving a child with you, I'd hate to see how he'd react to an article about us dating."

I chew my bottom lip and look away from him.

"Granger. Look at me." He is leaning forward at his desk, his palms out flat against the dark wood. His body is relaxed, his face calm. "I would honestly hate to see Weasel anywhere near your child. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to keep him away from you and your baby. And I will make sure that he does not get custody."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"I already told you; I have the entire department at my fingertips. I can assign someone to the case so there isn't a conflict of interest-"

"No. How do you propose to keep him away from me?"

"You saw what happened in your office, Granger. I can take care of it. I can also keep the _Prophet_ from reporting about you or the progress of your pregnancy. Weasel seems to get his information only from the paper; if they aren't writing the stories, he won't know anything. And you already know about my success with keeping the _Prophet_ from photographing things I'd rather keep in the dark."

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why should I accept your offer?"

He rolls his eyes and sits down, motioning for me to take the seat opposite him. "Think about it, Granger. I am the only one who will be on your side one hundred percent. Everyone you are close to is either friends with or related to Weasel. They are going to want to see both of you happy. I hate Weasel; that much is clear, I think. I'd be looking out for you only."

He is right. Harry and Ginny love me and want to help me, but they also, understandably, love Ron. They'd want us to find a way to work this out so we both can be happy. As much as I love and trust them, they won't ever completely side with me, just like they won't ever completely side with Ron. But accepting help from Malfoy? Is that really how I want to go about protecting my child?

"Could… could I have some time to think about it?"

Malfoy shrugs. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you. Now, about the case file," I say, inching my chair closer to his desk so I can see the papers. "Along with the Auror name, I think there is more missing from the file."

"Show me."

I flip through the pages at Malfoy's request, pulling out the log of evidence and the list of items found at the scene. "Well look here. There are thirteen items reported being found at the scene and thirteen listed in the log, but see this?" I point to the last slot on the page. "Something was written here; I can feel the indents in the paper."

Malfoy's long fingers pluck the page from my grasp. His index finger glides over the spot I've pointed out, his brow furrowed.

"But who would want to cover up a piece of evidence?" he asks.

I shrug. "I don't know the reason for certain, but I suspect someone is trying to throw our case. Maybe it's the Auror whose name is missing?"

Malfoy leans back in his chair. "I don't think so; the background checks to become an Auror are beyond extensive. They wouldn't have been approved if they were thought to be a Dark Wizard, or even if a relative was thought to be one." He scowls. "Frankly, that's why I didn't bother applying."

"Well who else would have access to these files? They'd have to have access to the originals to change anything on ours."

"I haven't the faintest, honestly."

I sigh and stand. "I have to go back to my office; maybe Harry's responded to my memo."

Malfoy watches me carefully as I walk to his fireplace and throw in some Floo powder.

"Call me when you hear from Potter; I want to know what is going on here. And keep your office door locked."

"Why?"

"Do you trust Weasel to not come storming back? I threw him out of your office; his poor ego must be bruised, wouldn't you say?"

I roll my eyes and call out my office's location before stepping into the green flames. I swear I can hear Malfoy chuckling to himself as I vanish.

I step out of my fireplace and dust off the ashes, glancing around my office. Nothing is out of place and there is no redhead screaming bloody murder, thank Merlin. I don't want to have to hex anyone today. I move to my desk and spot Harry's response folded nicely on top of my incoming mail pile. I open it quickly and scan its contents, frowning as I get further down the page.

"April," I say, hitting the call button on the intercom. "Would you mind telling me when Harry Potter's next available is?"

"It's in about a half-hour Miss Granger."

"Thank you; please ask his secretary to keep it open for me. I need to speak with him."

"Certainly. Um, Miss Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Are you all right? I went to check on you after Mr. Weasley left and you weren't in your office. I regret to say I read the _Prophet_ article and… I just wanted to check that everything was all right."

I smile. "Thank you for your concern, April. I am fine. Mr. Malfoy and I continued our meeting in his office to make sure we would not be interrupted again."

"Of course, madam."

"Oh, April, I actually have another thing I'd like you to do. Please revoke Ronald Weasley's pass to this department. Unless he has an appointment set up in an advance, I don't want him having access to this level of the Ministry. Civilians really have no business being down here without a case."

"Consider it done."

I smirk when I hear the smile in April's voice. There is nothing she enjoys more than denying people access to the lower levels of the Ministry. She's a bit power-hungry that one. I lower myself to my seat and pull the phone closer to me before dialing the number for the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, silently thanking Merlin that my bill to add telephones to the Ministry was not considered a misuse of Muggle artifacts.

"Office to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, Wilson speaking."

"Hey, Will; it's Hermione-"

"Hermione Granger! It's been ages since you last called! I was starting to think you had forgotten about little ole me!"

I laugh. "Please Will, no one can forget you."

"Now that's the truth! What I can do for you, love?"

"Well, Malfoy and I were reviewing a case file and I think someone's tapered with it. There are only three Aurors listed, but Malfoy swears he always sends an even number into the field. I already sent Harry a memo and his records also list only three names. I think someone is trying to throw our case."

"Now that is a problem. Do you want me to patch you through?"

"Not if she's busy, no. I was just wondering if would be possible for me to get my hands on the original copy of the file. If I'm right and someone is trying to ruin our case, that person would have had to messed with the originals. I'd like to see if I can spot someone wrong with them."

"Maybe _you_ should be Head of the Investigation Department, little Miss Detective! You are a regular Nancy Drew! I'll send the case over to you ASAP. Anything else I can do for you? Please say yes, I am slowly dying of boredom over here."

"Wilson! You are the secretary to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department; you probably have loads of things to do!"

"Yeah, and not one of those things is fun! But since you are going to guilt me into working, I'll have the file on your desk before two. Ciao bella!"

"You're the best!"

I end the call and glance at my clock. Now is as good as time as any to head over to Harry's. I adjust my skirt and smooth my hair as I stand and exit my office. I wave to April when I pass her desk, making my way to the elevators. I press the call button and step inside, hitting the button for the Auror office. I'm so used to taking this ride that I don't even flinch at the change in direction or speed of the elevator.

The metal doors slide open and I step out into the marble hallway; my heels clicking against the floor as I walk.

"Hey Josh," I say as I approach Harry's office. "Is he ready for me?"

"Of course, Miss Granger. Head on in."

"Great, thanks."

I knock on the mahogany doors of Harry's office and enter when I hear him call out. He's sitting at his desk, his glasses at the edge of his nose, scribbling furiously on an Interdepartmental Memo.

"Sorry, just a sec, Hermione; Percy wrote me another bloody essay on illegal magical transportation and how it can affect my department. I'm in the process of reminding him not to use his status as my brother-in-law to seek favors from the Auror Office."

I laugh and sit down at one the chairs. "Yeah, that certainly sounds like Percy."

I watch Harry as he finishes his sentence and then sends the memo on its merry way to the Department of Magical Transportation. He takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes before sighing and smiling at me.

"So. What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to look over the original files from the DMLE to figure out what the hell is going on. Someone is tampering with our evidence."

Harry rubs his jaw and nods. "Sounds like a good idea to me. I know Malfoy sent four Aurors into the field because I found the request memo he sent me." He shuffles some papers around on his desk before handing me one. "This is the original, so I know it hasn't been changed. My signature is on the bottom, approving Malfoy's request for _four_ Aurors. Not three. And yes, you can hold onto that until you figure out what is going on."

"Thank you; I'll make a copy and send it to Malfoy as well."

Harry nods and then looks at me expectedly.

"What?"

"Have you seen the _Prophet_ for today?"

I groan. "Do not even go there with me, Harry. Ron stormed into my office earlier in a blind fury."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I was on a conference call with Malfoy when it happened; he handled it. My stupid pregnancy hormones got in my way; I was too emotional to hex the bastard." I shake my head. "Ron's threatening to file for full custody so I won't 'fuck up his kid'."

Harry's face transforms into a strange mixture of shock and disgust. "He actually said that to you?"

"Yeah. I'm still reeling from it."

"I mean, I understand him wanting some form of custody because the baby is his too, but _full_ custody? I really don't think Ron is remotely ready to care for a child, especially full time. And he is completely wrong, by the way. Of everyone I know who has the potential to raise a child correctly, it's you."

"Thanks, Harry. That means a lot."

"You're welcome. And you said _Malfoy_ handled Ron for you? That's strange."

I shrug. "Malfoy's actually offered to help me with the custody battle. He's willing to assign someone to the case immediately to prove I have the potential to be a better parent than Ron." I laugh. "He's even offered to babysit."

"Malfoy? Babysitting? I'd buy tickets to that horror show." Harry pauses and studies my face. "You're considering his offer?"

"Please don't sound so surprised; I consider practically every favor I get no matter what. You know I hate making rash decisions."

"What are you thinking exactly?"

"I-… I'm not sure, honestly. It'd be nice to know another person is willing to help me keep custody over Ron-"

"But it's Malfoy."

"That is the downside, yes."

Harry smirks and leans back in his chair. "I don't know, Hermione. Having an unbiased opinion might be helpful, but I think you could find someone better than Malfoy to help you. I mean, you know Gin and I are here for you no matter what right?"

"But you'll also be there for Ron."

"Excuse me?"

I sigh. "You love Ron and me; you two want to see us both happy and unfortunately, our happiness currently depends on full custody of our unborn child. It's okay, Harry; I understand. Ron is your best friend, same as me. You want to help us both."

"So you think Malfoy might be able to help because he'll only look out for you?"

"That's what he said."

"Hermione, I trust you and your instincts. Now, I've worked with Malfoy ever since he joined the Investigation Department three and a half years ago. We're not mates; I really doubt we'll ever be. But he's good at what he does and his personality has matured from a five year old to at least an eight year old." He gives me a half-smile when I chuckle. "That being said, this is still Malfoy we are talking about. I trust him with his job, but not with anything beyond that; I trust you a hell of a lot more. If you think that his offer is a good idea…. Merlin, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but maybe you should take him up on it."

My jaw drops. "Look at you, Harry James Potter! Malfoy's not the only one who's matured since Hogwarts!"

Harry makes a face like he has a bad taste in his mouth. "I'm not so sure; I think I need to gargle some mouthwash after saying too many tolerate things about Malfoy in the same sentence."

I laugh and stand, motioning for him to as well. "How about I take you out to lunch to get your mind off it?"

"Oh, even better!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Miss Granger? Mr. Malfoy is here to see you. Again."

Ah, damn it.

"I'm really quite busy-"

"Stop with the excuses, Granger!" Malfoy yells into the intercom. "You're just upset that you haven't found anything in the files you got from Wilson. Now stop hogging them and let me see if I can get anything for God's sake!"

"Okay, fine, come in then! April, I am getting you an earpiece for Christmas."

"Very good, miss," she laughs to herself before clicking off the intercom.

I narrow my eyes at Malfoy when he strolls into my office.

"Hey, don't give me that look! You've had those files for a solid three days now. And I didn't even know you had them until yesterday. I let you have your fun with them, now it's my turn. Honestly, didn't your parents ever teach you to share?"

"Oh sod off," I growl, thrusting the files at him. "I'm not in the mood."

Malfoy arches an eyebrow at my tone and crosses his arms. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I'm not hungry."

"And I'm the Queen of England. Get your coat, we're going to lunch."

"Malfoy, I really am not hungry," I protest as he summons his jacket. "Besides, I have a few snack foods in my desk-"

"Granger. You need food; real people food. Common on, we can look over the file together and figure out what you missed. Besides, I'm going to need you to tell me what you already thought of and tried so I don't spend all my time just repeating you."

When I don't stand, he begins tapping his foot impatiently.

"The faster you just agree to come the sooner you can escape from me."

"Well, when you put it that way…" I say with smirk, resigning myself to just get lunch with him.

"Ouch, you wound me, Granger."

"You make it too easy," I say with a shrug as I grab my coat and pull it on. "So, where to then?"

"We'll find something; London is full of great cafés."

I wave to April on our way out, tucking the file under my arm. Malfoy calls the lift and gestures for me to go on before him. I notice his eyes on the file and smirk before handing it to him.

"You know, curiosity killed the cat," I say smugly as the doors close.

"What?" Malfoy's face transforms into shock. "What cat?"

I laugh quietly to myself. "Muggle expression, Malfoy. It just means that being curious can backfire sometimes."

He snorts. "Yeah right, give me an example."

I fold my arms against my chest. "Second year. I made Polyjuice potion and accidently plucked cat hair from a girl's robes instead of her actual hair. I coughed up fur balls for two days!"

"I already knew _that_ , Granger; the whole school knew," he says with an eye roll as we step out into the main foyer of the Ministry. "Exactly how does that pertain to curiosity killing a cat?"

"Well my reason behind why I brewed that potion was curiosity. Curiosity of a potentially dangerous and illegal variety."

"Illegal? Now I'm intrigued."

I shake my head and weave through the crowd of witches and wizards. The exit appears before us and I sigh gratefully. Emerging into London, I glance up at the blonde. He isn't looking at me, rather at a group of people across the street from us.

"This way," he says, his hand finding my arm and tugging me in the opposite direction of what I wanted.

"What? Why?"

"Reporters, Granger. I haven't seen any articles about you since the initial one and any one of those bloodsuckers would love to hound you about your pregnancy."

"Hey, I never accepted your help you know."

He scoffs. "I am aware. Think of this as your free trail."

I chuckle, but am internally thankful that he noticed the reporters. I really don't have the time or patience to deal with anything but our current case at the moment and the very idea of having my picture taken makes me want to implode. Or cause someone else to _explode_.

"So," Malfoy says cheerfully after we have put a few blocks in between us and the Ministry, "what illegal things were you up to at twelve years old?"

"Oh, sorry; that information is classified."

"Bullshit! You cannot tell me that you were illegally brewing Polyjuice potion and then not tell me the reason behind it! I demand an answer."

I smile. "You can't know all my secrets, Malfoy."

He arches an eyebrow when he glances at me. "I'll find out sooner or later; investigating is my job, you know."

My smile widens. "Good luck with that."

We turn down a street and quickly agree to eat at the first café we find. Malfoy even holds the door for me; what a gentleman. A tall brunette leads us to a booth on the far side of the restaurant and assures us our waitress will be with us shortly as we shrug out of our jackets. I slide into my side of the booth and adjust my skirt as Malfoy skims through the file.

"All right, fess up. What methods have you already used?"

"Not many actually. I've tried a few basics, but mostly I've been trying to track down the original filer of the report. No such luck on that end, though. I've tried _Repairo_ and that lot, but as you can obviously gather, nothing's worked."

Malfoy hums to himself as he folds his hands together, his silver eyes jumping from page to page in front of him.

"What about-"

"Hi! My name is Jill and I'll be your waitress today! Can I get you something to drink?"

I notice a small jump from Malfoy at our waitress's sudden appearance and bite the inside of my cheek to stop from smirking.

"Just water for me, thanks," I say with a grin.

"Sure thing! How about for you?"

The corner of Malfoy's mouth twitches at her high-pitched and bubbly voice.

"Black tea, please. Thank you."

She gives him a large smile, her eyes glancing at the files in front of us for a brief moment before assuring the both of us that she'd be back momentarily.

"Expect a phone number from her before we leave."

"I'm sorry?"

I can't help but laugh at his expression. "Please, Malfoy. No need to be coy with me. Clearly she is delusional and finds you attractive. She glanced at our paperwork and, correctly, assumed that this is a business lunch, not a date."

"Oi! I am _very_ attractive, Granger. Do not sell me short here. And there is no possible way she can be sure this is just a business lunch."

I arch an eyebrow. "Malfoy. Look at how we are dressed and what we have on the table."

"Bet you five galleons I can get her to change her mind."

"About what?"

"About slipping me her number."

"Why on earth would I agree to that?"

"Because it makes things interesting. We're going to drive ourselves mad with this case anyway, might as well have some fun with it."

"Fine, fine, whatever you want."

Malfoy smirks and glances at the menu. "Now that we've got that settled; have you been here before?"

I nod. "Ginny and I have come here a few times when we want to change up our semi-weekly lunch date. I like it."

He opens his mouth to reply, but closes it abruptly when Jill all but materializes next to us with our drinks.

"Can I take your order now, or would you like some more time?"

I glance to Malfoy. "I'm ready if you are."

"After you," he says, his eyes still on the menu.

I turn to Jill. "I'll have the cheeseburger and chips with extra onions, please."

Malfoy looks up at me. Before I can second guess him, he leans forward, his fingers grazing my cheek as he tucks a stray curl behind my ear. "Sorry, that was bothering me," he says with a cocky grin. "And if you are getting onions, I suppose I should too." Another cocky grin. "I'll have the same as her."

I don't look at Jill because I know I'm blushing like mad and because I want to see if I can actually watch the sanity leaving his brain.

"What was that?" I ask when she disappears.

"I believe that was point one for me. But, back to business. Have you tried ways to read invisible ink? Or even fading ink. I know that joke shop Weasel's brother owns sells the stuff. Whoever wrote up the report must have filled everything in when it was logged, because you noticed something was wrong. If they had used fading ink, the report would have appeared fine at first, but then changed to what it is now."

I tap my chin thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea. I can contact George and see if there's a way to reverse the effects of fading ink so we can test it out. Even if that's not the answer, we should look into protecting the parchment we use at the Ministry to make sure no one does that in the future."

"Not a bad idea? I'm hurt; you really should put more faith in me," Malfoy says with a large smile. He pauses and I hear Jill's high voice behind me as she talks to another table. "Although, I certainly will never be a clever as you, dear."

My lips curve into a small smile. Two can play his game. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Malfoy. Honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long to figure out why no one else in the department wanted to work with you; the unwanted attention is really quite distracting."

I notice how he bites his lower lip to keep from smiling, his silver eyes both playful and determined.

"Point for you, Granger," he says after Jill has passed. "I was hoping you would join in at some point; the bet would be no fun if you didn't attempt to make it a challenge."

I roll my eyes, but my smile stays on my face. I sometimes forget that Malfoy can be good company when he wants to be. "Well I'm certainly not going to pass up the chance to win five galleons. Besides, I love watching you lose to a Gryffindor; it's really quite satisfying."

"Like last night?"

I have to focus to not spit out my water. Jill must be behind me again.

"Oh, yes. I've been waiting for that report for ages now; thank you for turning it in. Honestly, it was about time too. You know, you can be a really lazy worker."

Malfoy clicks his tongue against his teeth in an effort to disguise his smile, but I can still see it. "Nicely played; the kid gloves are off now."

I smile sweetly. "Do your worst."

"I intend to."

I look away from his eyes to snatch the file from his side of the table. "What would be your second guess for this, then? In case your first idea turns out to be a bust."

"I'm not sure… Have you tried holding a magnifying glass to it?"

I hesitate. "No."

"You liar!"

"I was running out of ideas!" I say defensively.

"Why didn't you just come to me sooner?"

"I wanted to figure it out myself."

Malfoy's hand moves across the table again, this time finding mine instead of brushing away my hair. His fingers give mine a gentle squeeze and I give him a very confused look, before Jill appears holding a tray of our food. He retracts his hand and gathers the papers as she puts our plates in front of us.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"I'm all right. How about you, love?"

He says it so casually that I don't even notice the term of endearment until I've already replied no and Jill has vanished once more.

"That is so not fair."

Malfoy gives me an innocent look. "Are you accusing me of cheating?"

"You have a better view; you know when she's going to show up!"

He shrugs as he adds some ketchup to his burger. "The seating arrangement is not my fault; you sat down first. Besides, you could have just slapped my hand away- I gave you plenty of time. But, it's too late now; I'm pretty sure I've got this in the bag."

"Oh just shut up and eat your lunch."

* * *

"Ha! Told you I won!" Malfoy says triumphantly when Jill gives us our check, her number nowhere in sight. "You made it way too easy."

"You had the better seat and the easier end of the bet!"

"Wow, Granger, never took you to be a sore loser," he teases. "Come on, cough up the galleons."

"You're impossible."

"Why thank-"

I glance up from my purse when he stops midsentence. His eyes have narrowed, his mouth a firm line.

"Do not turn around."

"You say that, but now I want to."

His silver eyes snap back to mine. "Two _Prophet_ reporters just walked in."

Damn it. "Merlin, I wish it was legal to hex reporters in public."

Malfoy doesn't even crack a smile at my joke as he stands and grabs his coat, motioning for me to do the same. I pull my arms through the sleeves of my jacket, eyeing him strangely. He is still glaring at the reporters.

"You know, they are probably going to notice you glaring daggers at them in a minute. I was under the impression that you _didn't_ want them to notice us."

He shakes his head. "I don't care if they notice me; I don't want them to notice _you_."

"Malfoy?"

"What?"

"If you get me out of here without the _Prophet_ writing an article about it, consider your offer officially taken."

That gets a smile from him. "Deal," he says offering his arm. When I don't take it, he rolls his eyes. "A little trust, please."

I sigh dramatically and slip my arm through his. With his free hand, Malfoy drapes his coat over my shoulders, tucking my curls beneath the collar to give the illusion that my hair is shorter than it really is. As we walk toward the exit, Malfoy turns us slightly, so I am hidden from the reporters by his profile.

"Mr. Malfoy!" One of them calls as we pass.

I feel Malfoy's arm tighten around mine, but there is no hesitation in his stride as he continues out the door. Suddenly the file we were pouring over comes up to block my face, just before a camera flash goes off. More reporters are outside. Fuck.

"Miss Granger! How far long are you?"

"Who's the father?"

"How has Ron Weasley taken the news?"

Malfoy's arm moves to wrap more securely around my waist as he pulls me along, the file still hiding my face from the view of the cameras.

"Taxi!" he calls out, stopping suddenly.

We pause momentarily as more reporters swoop in on us like vultures; each question more personal and depraved than the last. I see the car door as the taxi stops in front of us and quickly open it, pulling myself away from the safety of Malfoy's arm and jacket. Malfoy ushers me into the car before climbing in behind me and slamming the door.

"Get us out of here!" he tells the cabbie, holding the file up to the window in case it isn't tinted enough and the cameras can still get a shot of us.

I watch as the reporters disappear as the cabbie hits the gas and let out a sigh of relief.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes, Granger?"

"You're hired."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the delay in update! I was wrapped up in semester finals and the holidays, but hopefully now I can return to my fast pace, or at least something more regular. Happy holidays!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am" I say, gesturing behind us toward the reporters that have thankfully disappeared as our cabbie drives us through London. "You got me out of that mess and even held the file in front of my face so they wouldn't get a picture. I'd be an idiot not to take you up on your offer."

He smirks. "Well I could have told you that three days ago."

"Oi!" I say, smacking his arm. "Don't make me retract my acceptance!"

"Nope, too late. You're stuck with me, Granger."

I roll my eyes as the cabbie comes to a stop at a red light and opens the glass window separating us.

"Where should I drop you at?"

"Just up ahead on the right, please," Malfoy says.

The cabbie nods and pulls up to the curb just a little beyond the light. Before I so much as open my purse, Malfoy slides some bills through the glass and is out his door. I glance up in surprise when he comes to my side of the cab and opens my door for me.

"I thought you didn't carry Muggle money," I say as I shut the door.

"I figured it was pretty stupid of me not to carry something." He shrugs. "I mean, I am in London daily; not carrying cash could come back to bite me in the arse. Besides, I don't make a habit of carrying a lot of it."

"That is probably for the best; knowing you, you'd probably blow it on some silly Muggle device you think is cool."

"Please, Granger. I'm a wizard, not a dumbass. I can totally tell what Muggle inventions are worth buying. Besides, you can't even say that you know me; you haven't got first name privileges."

"Well neither do you!"

He pauses and smiles. "Point taken."

We exit Muggle London and head into the Ministry, nodding at a few people from our respective departments. I reach the lifts first and press the call bottom, gesturing for Malfoy to step on before me.

"I'm going to your office," he declares after the lift has taken off.

"What for?"

"Two reasons. One: I want to know if I was right with the fading/disappearing ink on the report and two: we should discuss the terms of our agreement."

"I wasn't aware terms were needed."

Malfoy puts his hand over his heart in false surprise. "Granger, you work for the Chief Warlock! How could you of all people not think terms of a contract to be important?"

My hand itches to smack him again, but I restrain myself. "I know terms of a contract are important, Malfoy; don't underestimate me. I just didn't realize that you wanted to actually construct a literal contract. I figured this would be a verbal thing."

He arches a blonde eyebrow as the doors to the lifts open and we step out into my department. "Granger, please. If there is one thing I have learned after working in the Investigation Department for three years, it's no one finds a verbal contract binding. The shit I have had to deal with that could have been avoided with a written contract is honestly astounding."

I roll my eyes, but allow him to follow me into my office nonetheless. He sits down in one of the chairs across from my desk as I grab a piece of parchment and hastily write a letter to George, asking him about fading ink and the best way to reverse its affects. I tap the parchment with my wand and it folds into a paper airplane, flying off to the owlery where it will continue on its path to George's shop.

"All right," I say, glancing up at Malfoy who is looking at me expectedly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Actually, it's probably best if you tell me exactly what you _want_ me to do. Do you want me to keep Weasel away from you, start an investigation into your and his ability to give the child a stable and happy life, etc.?"

"Obviously, I'd love if you could start an investigation. If we start now we might be able to catch Ron off guard. He won't be ready for someone to start examining his ability to be a parent and it could scare him into not even filing for full custody."

"Well write it down then." Malfoy taps some parchment to make his point. "I told you, written contracts are the best way to go."

"Okay, fine, fine," I say, scribbling down the first expectation I have for him. "I'm not really sure you keeping Ron away from me will be necessary. I mean, I've already invoked his clearance for this level of the Ministry, and I can handle myself."

"Believe me, I know; you nearly broke my nose in third year when you 'handled yourself'. Think of me as just some extra backup in case you need it. Your pregnancy hormones might cause you to freeze up again like when he first showed up. Once you have the kid, you'll be fine to hex and curse him all you want."

"I'll allow your help, but _only_ if you are in the general area. I am not some damsel in distress who needs you ride in on a white horse and save the day. If Ron says anything vaguely reminiscent of what he said to me a few days ago, I'll kill him myself."

Malfoy's face breaks out into a grin. "You would have done well in Slytherin, you know."

I laugh. "Please, Slytherin would have rolled around in his grave if he knew I was in his House." I pause and then smirk. "Although I certainly would have loved to see the look on his face if I were sorted into his House." I glance down at the parchment in front of me. "What do you want out of this arrangement?"

"I want to babysit your kid."

"You're joking."

"Oh, not at all. I told you that if I was seen with a baby it would mostly likely result in me losing my 'Most Eligible Bachelor' title. I would very much like to pass that along to another unfortunate bloke; the fan mail is positively horrifying. And I could do with some positive publicity for once. It'd be nice to no longer be considered evil in the eyes of the general public."

"Anything else?"

"There's really not a lot you need to do personally for me. As long as you keep your job and let me babysit once in a while, that's really all I want. I don't want to deal with someone else coming in and ruining the flow we've got going between our departments. Oh, and just having the satisfaction that Weasel won't, in his own words, 'fuck up your kid' is really all I need." He pauses and seems to consider something. "Actually, there is one more thing I want."

"Name it. This deal seems pretty one side for me right now."

"Apparition can be bad for the baby and I don't think you own a car. I want to drive you to your doctor appointments."

I blink in surprise. "You… you can drive?"

He scoffs and folds his arms. "Of course I can bloody drive. I told you I wasn't a dumbass."

"Well my opinion of you being a dumbass aside," I smirk at the look on his face, "I didn't think you would _want_ to know how to drive, let alone actually live in an area of England and would require to you have a car. Where do you live?"

"I live in London, same as you. I haven't lived with my parents in years, Granger, since the look on your face tells me that's where you think I've been living. And I'm right, aren't I? You don't have a car and you've been walking to your appointments."

"Half right; I took a cab to my latest one."

He gives me a half smirk after I've proven his point. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Do you even know how often I have my appointments?"

"Nope."

I shake my head and laugh softly to myself. "For the time being, I only go once a month. Then I'll move up to once every two weeks and then once a week, but I'll let you know when that happens. And yes, we have a deal."

"Perfect. Now, finish writing up that contract so I can sign it."

"Since when do you become so professional and by the book?" I ask, returning my attention to the parchment to do as he says.

"When I was hired here. I told you weeks ago Granger; I can't afford to lose this job, and there are plenty of people who want to see my arse kicked to the curb. I have no room to mess up."

I glance up at him, my quill posed over the paper. "You know, I might be able to do something about that."

"About what?"

"People's opinion of you."

Malfoy leans back in the chair and crosses his arms. "All right. I'm listening."

"You probably won't like it."

"Just tell me."

"Hang out with me and Harry."

Silence hangs around us and Malfoy stares at me. He blinks a few times, but does not speak. Then, slowly, his lips begin to curve upward. "You can't be serious."

"No, I totally am. You're right; you have no positive publicity. Harry and I really _only_ have it. And after Ron and my break up and my pregnancy leak, I've been receiving pity publicity because no one has seen me with Ron. I bet a lot of people thought we'd get back to together once the news broke. If you were since hanging out with Harry and me, you would not only get some positive limelight, but also be since as kind and caring for being there for me in my time of need."

"And Potter would go along with this? Granger, I'm not sure if you noticed, but the two of us aren't exactly friends. We're polite when we are forced to see each other, but I don't think either one of us is necessarily interested in seeing the other outside of work."

"Do you have any idea how strange it's going to look to the public when you just randomly start babysitting my child? They are going to assume that _you_ are the father, not Ron. If you were since with my friends, you would start being considered our _friend_. That protects both of us against rumors of you fathering my baby."

"I will be honest; I had not thought of that."

"I am right, you know."

"Yes, yes." He pauses and looks away from me, rubbing his jaw. Finally, he sighs and meets my eyes. "If you can get Potter and Weaselette to agree to this, then… I will gladly take you up on the offer. I am assuming you told them about your arrangement?"

I nod. "I told Harry and I believe he told Ginny. But, if they do agree to this, you are going to have to stop calling her Weaselette. She'll hex you into oblivion."

Malfoy laughs. "I do not doubt it."

* * *

"So, what do you think?"

Ginny and Harry sit across from me, their food untouched in front of them. They glance at each other in shock before Ginny turns to meet my eyes.

"You… you want _Malfoy_ to start hanging out with us? So he can get some positive publicity for once?"

"And so reporters won't immediately claim that he is the father of my child when he starts babysitting for me, yeah."

She shakes her head, a smile of surprise and amusement on her lips. "I can't even imagine Malfoy babysitting, let alone willingly spending time with us… Harry, what do you think?"

"I… I don't know. I mean, Hermione is right. Malfoy isn't nearly as bad as he was at school. And if this could help him gain some career stability with less people trying to get him fired... I'm sure he'd be on his best behavior. But, is this what _you_ want, Hermione?"

"What do you mean?"

"I understand you going to him for help with the custody battle and as some extra muscle to keep Ron away from you. I just want to know that one hundred percent, you are fully okay with him babysitting your child and well, becoming more than just a work colleague. You understand that he will be in your baby's life for a while, yeah? I don't seem him as the kind of bloke to necessarily stop doing something that will help him in some way. Do you want him to be around your child?"

I take a bite of my food to stall for time while I consider Harry's question. I certainly trusted Malfoy to do a good job with the custody battle, and he had already proved that he could be very helpful in keeping Ron away from me if need be. But Harry did bring up an important question. Did I want him near my baby? Did I _trust_ him to look after my baby?

"I can't answer that," I finally say, looking up to meet his green eyes. "I am not opposed to Malfoy being in my child's life. He has proven to me that he has mature since Hogwarts and has the potential to continue that growth. He also hasn't given me any reason that he would be a danger to my baby. But, I want to get to know him better if he is going to be a part of my child's life. And if everything works out for the best, I want him to not have to worry about articles about him corrupting the baby or you guys disliking our potential friendship. I don't want my child to grow up with that. I want to give him the chance that I know he deserves. Can you give him the opportunity to see if he is worthy of _you_ giving him the same chance?"

Harry looks at Ginny who is smirking.

"You are such a lawyer, sometimes," she says. "You know that, right?"

I laugh. "Well I certainly hope so! But honestly. Will you guys at least give him a fighting chance? He already knows that one slip up with me will terminate our deal."

I watch them with wary eyes as the couple seems to communicate mentally. After a moment, Harry looks back at me and gives me the tiniest hint of a smile.

"All right, Hermione. We'll give him a chance. We can all get dinner this week, sound good?"


	11. Chapter 11

I glance in the mirror and bite my lip. I am _definitely_ overthinking this, but I already straightened my hair; no going back now. Turning away from my reflection, I grab a simple silver necklace and fasten it around my neck, adjusting the pendent so it hangs in the center of my chest.

At the sound of a knock on my door, I jump in surprise. Damn it; he was early.

"Just a second!" I call digging through my purse. "Where the fuck is my lipstick?" I mutter to myself. After half a second of being unable to find it, I decide it really isn't worth it and hurry to the door. A quick glance through the peephole confirms that Malfoy is outside.

"Hey, come on in," I say, opening the door for him. "I just need to grab my coat…" My voice trails off when I notice the strange look on his face. "What?"

"You straightened your hair." He sounds surprised.

"Does it look bad?"

"What? No, of course not." He gives me a charming smile. "It's just different is all."

I relax at his words, shocked that his denial of my hair looking bad actually sounded sincere. Ron could have taken some lessons from him. Turning away from Malfoy, I grab my coat from my closet and slip it on before grabbing my purse.

"Okay; I'm ready." I notice Malfoy is staring at my hair again. "Are you all right?"

"Can I touch it?"

"Touch what? My hair? Um, I guess."

Malfoy moves closer to me and catches a lock of my hair in his fingers. He plays with the small section for a moment before dropping it and running his fingers through the rest. "Hmm," he says after a moment, before stepping away.

"Why did you want to do that?"

He shrugs. "I was curious. I don't think I've ever seen you with straight hair. It's nice."

"Why am I sensing a 'but'?"

His lips curve up into something between a smirk and smile. "But, I think I like your curls just a bit more."

I arch an eyebrow. "Well then I guess it's a good thing I didn't do this for you."

"Ah, so you just dressed up for the reporters outside then?"

"Tell me you are lying, I beg of you."

"Afraid not, Granger. I noticed the two of them when I came in; by the way, this apartment complex should invest in a little better security. One _Alohomora_ and I just waltzed right in. I thought you said this place was warded."

"For Apparition yes, and against unwanted guests. Your unlocking charm worked only because I added you to a short list of individuals who can successfully do that and _not_ trigger the alarm. Congratulations."

"I've made the short list, have I?" he chuckles as we exit my flat and I lock the door behind us. "I suppose I should feel honored, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you should," I say, pressing the button at the lifts. "You and a grand total of three other people are on that list."

"Hm, very short list then. I was expecting a bit more than only four names." We step into the lift and Malfoy taps his chin before looking at me. "Tell me, what did you say to the Potters that made them agree to this?"

I hesitate before meeting his eyes. "I told them that this is your test run with them to prove you deserve a chance; you've already passed my inspection. And… I asked them to do the same thing as me; give you the chance that I know you deserve."

The silence that follows my admission hangs between for a bit too long for my liking. Malfoy is staring at me and I can't quite tell what he's feeling.

"You… you think I deserve a chance to prove myself?"

"To be honest, Malfoy, I think you've already done that. But I want them to let you do that. You've changed since our days at Hogwarts, and I think it's high time someone other than me realizes that. I see the stuff that gets written about you and your family in the _Prophet_. It's time the wizarding world learns that everyone has baggage. Sure, some people have more skeletons in the closet than others, but it's not fair to keep assuming the worst of people. You've earned the right to show everyone that you've changed."

We're staring intently at each other now and standing a bit closer than necessary, even in the small area of the lift. Malfoy's silver eyes are searching my face carefully and I feel trapped by their gaze. When his eyes stop and focus on my mouth, I swallow thickly.

"We should have a code word," he says suddenly, gracefully moving away from me and breaking whatever spell was forming between us. "You know, in case Weasel ever shows up. That way I know if you need me to step in or not. I don't want to get in the way of you kicking his arse."

"Like what?" I ask, schooling my features into a neutral expression.

"I don't know. It could be a word or just a simple 'I don't want to deal with you right now'. Just something to tip me off if you would like my assistance or not. Got any ideas?"

I tap my chin thoughtfully as the lift doors open and we step out into the lobby. I can see the reporters from here, but they haven't noticed us yet. "Attack?"

"I am vetoing that right now."

I can't help but laugh at Malfoy's tone, turning to look at him. "I know, I just thought it would be funny."

"Well funny or not, I am not a guard dog, Granger." He tries to sound stern, but there is a hint of smile forming at the corners of his lips. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"I'll let you know. But, unfortunately, we have come to the annoying part of the evening."

"Which would be?"

"Getting outside without the reporters seeing us just yet."

"I thought the point of this was to _let_ reporters get a picture of us."

"Not the two of us alone. They'll think we're on a date. Trust me, there will be positive press about you tomorrow, but we need Harry and Ginny first."

"All right, I'll trust you. How would you like to play this?"

"Have you got an idea?"

"Actually, yes. Stay here until you see a black BMW pull up."

Before I can question him, Malfoy turns on the spot and vanishes. I glance toward the front doors of the lobby, hoping I will be able to distinguish a BMW from the other types of cars; he really should have given me a better description. After a moment, a black car pulls up to the curb. When no one moves toward it, I assume that it is Malfoy. Taking a deep breath, I hurry outside toward the car. I fling open the passenger side door and shut it behind me, just as the first reporter notices me.

"Nicely done, Granger," Malfoy says from the driver's seat. "They hardly noticed you. Must have been the hair."

"Oh, please stop making comments about my hair."

"Whatever for?"

"I'm beginning to think it was a bad idea."

Instead of just driving away, Malfoy turns in his seat to look at me and waits until I meet his eyes to finally speak. "I'm sorry for making you self-conscious about your hair. It looks lovely."

"How can you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Somehow make me believe a compliment I would have never found sincere from Ron."

Malfoy smirks. "Well it's quite simple for two reasons, really. One: I believe it, and two: I am not Weasel."

I stare at him for a moment before smiling. "Rodent."

"I beg your pardon?"

I cannot help the laughter that escapes at Malfoy's offended tone and disgusted expression. "Our code word for when I need or want you step in: rodent."

"Well thank Merlin for that; I thought you actually just insulted me after I complimented you."

"Well…"

"Don't you even go there, witch."

* * *

Malfoy pulls up to the front of the restaurant to let me out while he goes and parks the car. I notice Ginny's red hair after he drives away and hurry over to her and Harry.

"There you are!" Ginny says, reaching out to give me a hug. "We were beginning to think you and Malfoy bailed. Where is he by the way?"

"Parking the car; I thought we were going to walk since it's a decent night out, but there were a few reporters near my flat. I figured it would be better to avoid them until we were all together so we can give the illusion of four friends hanging out, you know?"

"You are aware that some reporters are going to think this is a double date, right?" Harry asks. "I mean, there are four of us here."

"Oh, leave that to me," Ginny says with a smirk.

"What are you going to do?" I ask, wearily. "Do you realize we have to be believable, right?"

"Of course! And you," she says, turning to her husband. "You better follow my lead, got that? If there is so much of a sentence suggesting Malfoy and Hermione are dating tomorrow, I am holding _you_ personally responsible."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything, thanks Gin," Harry mumbles.

I quickly glance around before looking at them. "Do you guys even seen reporters?"

"Oh, trust me, Hermione; they're there," Ginny assures me. "We could hear their cameras clicking like crazy standing here waiting for you. They've gotten a little better at being less conspicuous as the years have gone on."

"Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure this would actually result in some publicity. Wow, never thought I'd say those words."

Suddenly Ginny runs from Harry and I. We turn to watch in surprise as she launches herself at Malfoy, wrapping her arms securely around his neck and screaming about how she'd missed hanging out with him and how he really needed to stop being such a stick in the mud who focused only on work. The momentary shock on Malfoy's features vanish almost as quickly as it appears and he even manages to hug her back.

"I'm sorry, but I really haven't had time to breathe, let alone go out, since my promotion," he says smoothly when Ginny releases him.

"Yeah, well you better start making time, because if I have to continue hanging out with only my husband and Hermione, I might just go crazy."

"Give the man a break, Gin," Harry says with a laugh. "Nice to see you, mate."

If I thought Ginny hugging Malfoy was strange, it was nothing compared to watching Harry shake his hand and even go in for a quick 'bro-hug' complete with a back pat.

"You too. How's everything at the Auror Department?"

Harry shrugs and even gives him a sincere smile. "Hectic, as per usual, but nothing I can't handle. How's the Investigation Department? You keeping everyone in line?"

Malfoy laughs and shakes his head. "Barely, but as long as the work is done well, I do my best not to mind."

Ginny stands beside me and throws her arm around my neck as we chitchat outside as if we all are really one group of friends just catching up. After a moment, the redhead declares she is starving and begins leading me into the restaurant, expecting the boys to follow us.

"Not that I don't appreciate the warm welcome," Malfoy says after we are seated at a private table, "but what exactly prompted it?"

Ginny puts her hand over her heart in false pain. "You wound me! How could you say that to such a dear and old friend?"

I roll my eyes and give her a light kick under the table. "She and Harry figured it would be better if they greeted you as a friend so there would be less reporters assuming that this is a double date. I was not expecting their solution to the problem, but I think it was a good idea."

"Are they going to believe that we are friends?" he asks, giving them a confused look. "I mean, me and Granger being friends kinda makes sense because we work so close together, but there has definitely not been any public sighting of you and me since my parents' and my trail, Potter."

Harry shrugs. "If this test run goes smoothly, I'll just tell everyone that we've been friends since the trail. Because of what your mum did for me, it shouldn't be a problem."

"You would do that?"

"I suppose so. But again, let's just get through this meal without killing each other." Harry's words are probably meant to be a warning, but I can hear the neutrality and peace behind them. He is willing to give Malfoy a chance, and a good one at that. Merlin, what did I ever do to deserve a best friend like Harry Potter?

Malfoy reaches into his inside coat pocket and pulls out his wand before extending it toward me.

"What are you doing?"

"Not taking any chances." The smile that accompanies his words breaks the remaining tension between the four of us.

I shake my head and laugh, but Malfoy continues to hold his wand out for me. Arching an eyebrow, I accept it, placing it inside my purse next to mine. Malfoy smirks, leans back in his chair, and makes a show of reading the menu. Ginny catches my eye and gives me a large smile. She likes him.

* * *

Toward the end of the meal, Harry asks to speak with me privately. Malfoy meets my eyes as we walk pass, but I can only shrug at him, having only a vague idea of what Harry wants to talk to me about. We round the corner and find another empty party room we can easily slip into.

"What's up?" I ask, turning to face him. "Is everything all right?"

"I just want to know who that bloke in there is, because he is definitely not the Malfoy I remember," Harry says with a smile. "Can you believe that I am actually starting to _like_ his presence? What have you done to me?"

I laugh and shake my head. "I told you he had matured since Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me he also got a sense of humor. Really Hermione, this is a little unnerving for me."

"Are you going to give him a chance then?"

Harry pauses and glances behind me, as if expecting Malfoy to be there. "Let me preface this by saying that I still don't think I like him or one hundred percent trust him. But… he has passed his test run between Ginny and I and we are both willing to give him a chance."

I study his face closely. "Why am I getting the feeling that you and Ginny already decided this before dinner?"

Harry smiles. "Nothing gets past you."

"No, but neither one of you would have greeted him as warmly as you did if this was just a simple test run. You already decided that you would help me in fixing his public image. Why?"

"Because you have faith in him, Hermione. You know him better than either Gin or me, and sometimes you can be a harsher judge of a person's character than us. I still don't like Malfoy, but judging from what I've seen tonight and what you've told me about him… I think you'd be a fool not to fully accept his offer and give him something in return. This is what you want. And Ginny and I want to help you in any way we can. Protecting the two of you against dating rumors and showing the world that Malfoy isn't a massive dick is a small way we can do that."

I throw my arms around Harry's neck, unable to contain my joy. "I really appreciate this, Harry! You know how much yours and Ginny's opinions matter to me, and I don't think I could really go through with Malfoy's offer without the two of you on board."

Harry returns my hug tightly before pulling away. "But just so you know, I will hex him into next year if he puts one toe out of line."

I arch an eyebrow and smirk. "Harry, please; I am perfectly capable of hexing Malfoy myself."

We exit the private room and head back to our table, finding Ginny and Malfoy engaged in a rather passionate Qudditch debate. I smile at the sight of them, pleased Malfoy was able to hold a conversation with her while Harry and I were gone, as well as give her a respectful opponent to argue against.

We split the check three ways when it arrives and gather our belongings.

"Oh, did you ever find the missing name on that report?" Harry asks as we slowly begin making our way to the exit.

Malfoy shakes his head. "Not yet. Granger sent your brother-in-law George a letter asking him about fading ink and he just sent us a potion to detect and reverse it today. As far as I'm aware she hasn't tested it. Right?"

"You're right. I left the office a bit earlier than usual today, but I can do it tonight and give you the results in the morning." I pause at the look on his face and smirk. "Unless you'd rather I wait until tomorrow so you can watch me do it."

"Ah, you know me so well," he teases, opening the door and gesturing for us to walk out before him.

"Harry! What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were going out tonight!"

Oh, fuck. I turn at the sound of an all too familiar voice and find Ron strolling up to us. The moment his eyes land on me, his face contorts into a scowl.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Ron, back off," Ginny says, moving to block me from his view.

"It's fine, Gin." I rest my hand on her arm and give her a reassuring smile. "Really."

"No, it's not! You two realize that she didn't tell me she was pregnant, don't you! She was probably planning on never telling me!"

"That is not true, Ron!" I hate having to raise my voice in public, but damn it I will _not_ just stand here and listen to him berate me. "They knew and understood why I didn't want to tell you. I wanted to make sure the baby was all right before I told anyone!"

"You knew?" Ron looks at Harry and Ginny accusingly. "You knew and you didn't tell me?!"

"It wasn't our place to tell you, Ron," Harry snaps. "Hermione came to us for advice and we agreed to keep it a secret until she was ready to let you know."

"Everything all right out here?"

Malfoy's voice is light and friendly as he strolls out of the restaurant and to my side. His hands are in his pockets, his gray eyes glancing between me and Ron.

"What the fuck are you doing here, ferret?"

"Lay off, Ron!" I angle my body to partially shield Malfoy from view, as if my small frame could really conceal him. "He's hanging out with us. It's what friends do!"

"Friends? Bull fucking shit! He's a Death Eater! And you are willingly letting him around _my_ unborn child!"

"Calm down, Weasley," Malfoy says casually. "Your face is starting to match your hair and it looks rather unpleasant." I notice that as Malfoy speaks, he moves slightly so I'm no longer blocking him.

"That is it, Hermione! You being the mother of my child is bad enough, but I will not tolerate you subjecting my kid to Death Eaters! I am taking you to court as soon as possible; I don't want Malfoy anywhere near my child, born or unborn!"

In reality, I know what he is saying is unrealistic. There is no way a judge will grant an order to keep Malfoy away from me if I'm not the one filing it _and_ if I oppose the motion. Ron isn't making any sort of sense. I know that. But I'm done dealing with him.

"That is enough you God damn rodent!" I scream.

The moment the word leaves my lips, Malfoy flies past me and punches Ron in the face, knocking him to the ground.


	12. Chapter 12

"You broke my bloody nose!"

Sure enough, blood is gushing down Ron's face as he holds his nose. His blue eyes are glaring at Malfoy, who has stepped away from him. Malfoy's silver eyes are examining the knuckles of his right hand, wincing slightly. At the sound of Ron's voice, Malfoy glances at him and narrows his eyes.

"You deserved it! I don't care what your opinions are Weasley, you have _no_ right to talk to her or anyone else like that."

I glance toward Harry and Ginny, hoping they might be able to give me some clue about how I should feel about all of this. Ginny is doing her best not to smile as she glances between Ron's broken nose and Malfoy. Harry, however, is looking off to the left, his face set in a grim scowl.

"Hermione, get Malfoy out of here," he whispers, keeping his voice low. "Reporters are going to start flocking soon and I bet they already have some great shots."

"What about the whole point of dinner tonight?"

Harry's green eyes met mine before focusing on Ron. "Gin and I'll handle it. We stick by our decision to help you. Although… maybe next time, tell Malfoy not to be so physical in his defensive of you, yeah?"

I hurry over to Malfoy and grab his hand, pulling him away from the scene as we flee to the parking lot.

"Ouch! Granger, ease up a bit will you?"

My eyes flicker down to our joined hands. I am squeezing rather tightly and with a start, I realize I grabbed a hold of his right hand. The one he was holding gingerly after breaking Ron's nose. His second knuckle is already bruising and I can feel the swelling from how I've grabbed him.

"You broke your knuckle, you idiot!" I hiss, pulling him toward the car. "Why in the name of Merlin's pants did you _punch_ him?"

He shrugs as he fishes the keys out of his pocket using his left hand and hands them to me. "You still had my wand. And besides, I couldn't let him get away with the things he was saying about you."

I force my facial expression not to change with his admission and motion for him to get into the car. I slowly count to five before getting into the driver's side and starting the engine. I don't look, much less speak, to Malfoy as I drive us away from the restaurant. In the rearview mirror I can already see the reporters crowding around Harry and Ginny. Their expressions are hard to read as I drive away, but they seem relaxed and patient as they answer the questions no doubt being hurled at them.

The tension in the car grows as I drive us toward my flat. I pull into the underground parking garage attached to my apartment complex and shut off the car, still ignoring Malfoy. He follows me as I lead the way to the elevators in the garage and press the call button. I can feel his eyes on me, but I continue not to look at him. My emotions are still running high after the whole punching incident and I'm still not sure how to feel about it. We step into the elevator as another couple comes up behind us. The lift only takes us up to the lobby of my building and is ridiculously small. Malfoy steps closer to me as the doors close, successfully trapping me between his body and the wall of the lift.

"Are you mad at me?" he asks softly as if the other couple can't hear, although he really needn't bother because they definitely can.

"No," I finally reply, still not looking at him.

I feel his fingers on my chin and he tilts my face up so I am forced to meet his eyes.

"Liar," he accuses with something between a smirk and smile on his lips.

I jerk my chin out of his grasp before I smile, but I don't think I am successful. The lift chimes when we reach the lobby and the other couple exits first. Before I can follow them, Malfoy's right arm shoots out, blocking my path. His good hand presses the button to shut the lift doors.

"What are you doing?" I ask in shock as the doors close and he presses the button to lock the lift in place.

"Why are you mad at me?"

I stare at him for a moment. "Did you seriously trap me in an elevator just to ask that question?"

"You weren't going to ever give me a straight answer. You were probably just planning on mending my hand, returning my keys, and then sending me on my merry little way, weren't you?"

I don't answer and choose to shoot him a glare, never mind the fact that that had been my original idea.

"Thought so," he says triumphantly. "So, go on then. Why are you mad?"

"Why am I mad? Malfoy, you broke Ron's nose!"

"Like he didn't deserve it!"

"Of course he did, but that's not the point!"

Malfoy steps closer to me at that and I take a step back automatically, my back pressing again the wall of the lift.

"Not the point?" he repeats. "Then what is?"

I fumble for a second before narrowing my eyes. "You can't just go around punching people!"

"Didn't seem to stop you during our third year!"

"You deserved-"

I choke on my words as Malfoy raises his eyebrows, success shining in his eyes. Damn it.

"It would appear we have a double standard here, Granger."

He is looming over me now and I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. The tension between us is still there, but it has changed from anger into something much more dangerous. Malfoy's eyes search my face and he steps closer when he seems to find whatever it is he's looking for.

"Double standard or not," I say thickly, hoping my words will distract me from the smell of his cologne, "punching someone in the face is hardly dignified. You could have just pulled me away and back to the car or-"

I stop talking abruptly when Malfoy's good hand comes up and brushes my hair off my neck, his fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps as they ghost down my throat.

"Do you know why I punched that lousy excuse for a man?" Malfoy's voice is soft, his face close to mine. I can feel his breath on my skin, each word like a stroke of his fingers. When I don't speak, he continues. "It's not because I don't think you can handle yourself or that you are some damsel in distress; I know you aren't and besides, I'm hardly the knight in shining armor on horseback type. It's because I didn't punch him the first time he insulted you in my presence. When he claimed you were going to be anything less than a wonderful mother. It's because I don't know any curse or hex good enough for him, but also because I don't want to waste my magic on someone like _him_."

His body is pressed up against mine now, securing me against the wall so there is no escape; as if I'd really _want_ to escape. His hand moves from my neck to cup my face, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"But mostly," he whispers, "I punched him, because I thought it might be a good way for me to let out some pent up emotions."

"Well that is hardly healthy-"

And then his lips are on mine, swallowing my witty retort. And despite his body pressed up against mine, and my back pressed firmly into the wall, the kiss remains soft and tender. His lips move against mine gently, trying to gage some type of response from me no doubt. The hand holding my face moves to tangle in my hair and briefly I think how smart it was that I straightened my hair so he could freely run his fingers through it, before giving myself completely into his kiss.

The moment my arms wrap around his neck, Malfoy's kiss becomes hungrier. His teeth scrape against my lips before his tongue traces the outline of my mouth, causing me to moan and my mouth to open for him. Our tongues meet in a frenzy and he pushes me harder against the wall. In response, I tangle my fingers in his hair, dragging my nails against his scalp. I hike a leg around his hips when his mouth leaves mine to trail down my throat, pausing to bite and suck as he goes. I begin to wonder why he doesn't help me lift my other leg around him when his hand grips my thigh and his lips reconnect with mine.

"Malfoy!" I push him away from me slightly, grabbing a fistful of his shirt to keep him at bay. "Your hand!"

"What about my hand?" he asks impatiently.

"You broke your knuckle, you idiot!" I say for the second time this evening. "And we've been snogging and not doing anything about it!"

"Granger, it really isn't that bad-" his voice trails off when he finally glances down at his hand, finding it very swollen and his knuckle even more bruised than when I first told him it was broken. "On second thought, maybe I would prefer it if you healed me."

I unhook my leg from his waist, albeit _very_ reluctantly, and gently push him away from me so I can reach the button to unlock the lift. Just before can I press the button, Malfoy's good hand grabs my arm and swings me back around so we are chest to chest, his mouth immediately lowering to kiss me again.

"We are going to talk about this," he says when he pulls away and leaves me breathless.

"O-of course," I breathe.

Satisfied with my answer he releases me, allowing me to unlock the lift. The doors slide open to reveal a confused old man. Malfoy and I quickly exit, hopefully before he notices our rumpled clothes and my smeared lipstick. We cross to the other side of the lobby and call the elevator that will get us to my flat, finding ourselves again confined to a small, enclosed space. Thankfully Malfoy does not make a move this time. I count the seconds until the doors open. Malfoy may be retraining himself but _I_ need some self-control because I have not had a proper snog in months and Malfoy is above and beyond a proper snog.

We step out into my hallway and I hurry toward my door, unlocking it as swiftly as I can and ushering Malfoy inside. I kick off my shoes and deposit my coat and purse on the table before going to the freezer and grabbing a bag of frozen vegetables.

"What are you planning on doing with that?"

"Oh just sit down," I say, moving from the kitchen to the couch, motioning for him to follow me.

He sits down beside me, cradling his injured hand against his chest. I hold out my hand and he gives me a warning look before letting me take it. Gently, I hold the frozen bag of corn to his knuckle, shooting him an apologetic look when he hisses in pain.

"Sorry, but it's better if I numb it before I fix it."

"You do know _how_ to fix it, don't you? I mean, you know which spell, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I do."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Sorry I doubted you."

We sit in silence for a little while, broken only by my occasional asking if he thought it was numb yet. After a couple minutes, he finally tells me that it's good enough and that I might as well just mend it.

"It's going to hurt," I warn.

"It can't be that bad- fuck!" Malfoy instinctively pulls his hand out of my grasp once I've performed the spell. "What the bloody hell was that?"

"Me fixing your knuckle, you moron. Here, put this back on it," I say, handing him the frozen corn. "I'll get you something to secure it with it."

I move back to my kitchen hoping I can find something to tie the bag around his hand with. I ultimately decide on a small towel that I can just knot around his hand, but when I turn to bring it to him, I find Malfoy standing directly behind me.

Before I can scold him for scaring me, his hands are on my hips and his mouth is on mine. My hands rest on his upper arms as he moves me backward until I hit the counter. One of his arms side around my back and he lifts me up without breaking the kiss and sets me down on the countertop, standing directly in between my thighs. He draws my lower lip into his mouth and bites down, resulting in a moan from me and me scraping my nails down his back, which he seems to like.

Gradually, our kisses begin to slow. Malfoy's hands find mine and lace our fingers together as he presses his lips chaste against mine. When he pulls away, we are both breathing heavily.

"Sorry," he finally says. "Got a bit carried away for a moment there."

"I don't mind."

"Careful what you say, witch; I might not stop next time."

The thought of _that_ makes my heart leap. I definitely have not had any sort of action since Ron left and Merlin, Malfoy is loads better than _anything_ Ron ever did. I didn't know what snogging was missing until Malfoy kissed me.

"What exactly sparked this sort of reaction from you?" I finally ask. "I mean, you punched Ron and snogged me; are you feeling all right?"

"Oh, I definitely am not feeling all right," he laughs, his hands leaving mine so he can wrap his arms around my waist, drawing me closer to him. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his hips. "I have no idea what you've done to me."

"What _I've_ done to _you_?" I ask. "I think the real question is, what have _you_ done to _me_?"

He shakes his head but humor still shines in his eyes. "I don't know about you, Granger, but I quite like you and frankly, I'm starting to wonder if you've slipped me a love potion or something."

"Wait you… you _like_ me?"

Malfoy arches an eyebrow and smirks. "Granger, I just punched your ex-fiancé in the face, snogged you against the wall of an elevator _and_ on your kitchen counter; I'm not sure how more obvious I can make this for you."

My hands rest on his chest, my fingers spread out to touch as much of him as possible. "When did that happen?"

"What? Me liking you? I don't know honestly, but I'd venture around the time Weasel broke off your engagement."

"That was almost two months ago."

"I am aware, but I don't think my feelings really showed themselves until tonight."

I arch an eyebrow. "That's pretty sudden."

He shrugs. "I realized when Weasel threatened to get a restraining order against me on your child's behalf- which I know is not possible- that I really did not like the idea of not spending time with you. Tonight was one of the few times we've ever been out together that did not consist of us working and I liked it. And if Weasel has a problem with that, he can go fuck himself."

"Wait a second, I never said I liked you."

Malfoy smirks. "You don't have to like me. Not yet, anyway. Your response to me kissing you is good enough for now."

"You honestly think you can get me to like you through snogging me?"

"There are certainly worse methods I could try."

He is right on that front, and in all honesty, I am almost one hundred percent certain that I could fall in love with him for his kissing alone. A girl could certainly get used to the way Draco Malfoy snogged.

"How about we add a section to our agreement, Granger?"

"I don't know, Malfoy. We've already signed the contract." My voice is teasing and he knows it, because he simply smiles in response.

"A private section then. I propose that you give me a chance to woo you."

"Woo me?" I choke back a laugh. "You are going a bit old school, aren't you?"

"Perhaps. But come on. You've already agreed to let me babysit your kid and fix up my public reputation. Why not give me a chance in the world of dating too? No one else has to know if you don't want them too. We can break it off the moment you give the word and if it's too awkward for you, I'll even pull my other deals off the table so you don't have to see me more than necessary. It's a win-win."

I hesitate for a moment as I study his features. Date Malfoy? I mean, I had already agreed to let him babysit my unborn child and defend me in the custody battle for said child, and true to his word, someone had already been assigned to my case. Harry and Ginny have agreed to help me improve the general public's opinion of him. And…

Well, he _is_ pretty damn attractive. He has a sense of humor that I like, a work ethic I admire, and intellect that could make me swoon. He had pretty much everything I would look for in a potential boyfriend. But…

"I'm pregnant."

"Yes, I am aware of that, Granger."

"You don't understand; I'm _pregnant_ , Malfoy. With someone else's child. Are you okay with that? With helping me through the pregnancy beyond the role of a friend?"

He pauses while he thinks about that. "I'm not sure," he finally replies. "But I'm willing to find out."

Well, at least he's honest. But there was still one more thing bothering me.

"How do you know I'm completely over Ron?"

"I don't." Truth rings in his voice. "Although…"

He leans in and kisses me again, his hands cupping my face and tilting my head back so he can kiss me deeper. My hands grip the sides of his shirt, my nails scratching the skin hidden beneath the fabric. One hand trails down the side of my body before pulling my leg tighter around him and I gasp in surprise when his body rubs against mine. He pulls away before I'm done and gives me a satisfied smile.

"Based solely on the way you kiss me back, I'd say if you aren't over him yet, you will be soon. But, please, correct me if I'm wrong."

I grab the collar of his shirt and register both the surprise and happiness on his face when I finally initiate a kiss between us. I let one hand ghost down the front of his chest, feeling his muscles through his shirt, moaning in satisfaction with what I find.

"I'm definitely over Ron," I say breathlessly when I pull away from him.

"Is that a yes then?"

I laugh. "Yes, Malfoy, it's a yes. Go on and do your best; woo me."


	13. Chapter 13

"Good morning, Miss Granger," April calls from her desk when I walk off the lift the next day. "You have two messages and a lunch meeting with the Chief Warlock at one."

"Thank you, April."

"Oh, and Miss Granger?"

I stop on my way to my office and glance at her. "Yes?"

"You also received some flowers."

Her words are lost on me momentarily and I stare at her dumbly for a moment. "Flowers? For me? Are you sure they weren't delivered to the wrong office?"

"No ma'am; the name on the envelope is yours. I wasn't sure where you would like them, so I just placed them on your desk."

"Huh. All right then, thank you."

I continue to my office, confusion clear on my face. Who would send me flowers? Upon opening my office door, I find a large vase of orange and yellow roses. My jaw drops at the sight of the beautiful flowers and I quickly shut my office door before anyone can notice. I hang my coat and purse up before walking to my desk, inhaling deeply to smell the roses' perfume. Tied around the vase in a green ribbon is an envelope baring my name.

Just as I untie the ribbon, my phone rings, causing me to jump in surprise. The moment I see the name of the caller appear the mystery of who bought me flowers disappears.

"Why did you send me roses?" I ask upon immediately accepting the call.

"I sent you what?" Malfoy's voice is surprised. "Sorry Granger, but I think I would remember if I bought you flowers. Why are you accusing me?"

"Oh, it wasn't you?" I try to keep the disappointment out of my tone. Ever since he had promised to 'woo me' last night, my hopes of some sort of affection had skyrocketed. I wasn't expecting much, but I certainly would have appreciated the sentiment. And besides, the idea of Malfoy wooing me was really too good _not_ to get my hopes up. "Who'd have sent me flowers?"

"I don't know. Did it come with a card or something?"

I glance down at the envelope for a moment before replying. "Yeah, but honestly, do you know anyone you'd buy me flowers?"

"I haven't the faintest, Granger."

Puzzled, I rip open the card to find a short note written in elegant cursive script.

 _I lied. The flowers are from me._

 _-D. M._

"Oh, you little shit!"

Malfoy's laughter rings through the speaker. "You have to give me some credit, Granger; I had you going for a little while there."

"How did you time this phone call so perfectly? Did you put a charm on the ribbon or something?"

"Spot on, Granger!" he praises. "I took a bit of a risk that you wouldn't assume the flowers were from me, but I think it all worked out rather nicely, don't you?"

I shake my head and chuckle quietly. "Yes, I think you did a nice job with this. Congratulations."

"Why thank you. And because I did such a wonderful job with the flowers, I think you should join me for lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yes; you know, the second meal of the day- the one between breakfast and dinner."

"I would love to, but I have a lunch meeting with the Chief Warlock at one today. Can we do a raincheck? I know you wanted to test the results of George's fading ink-"

"Granger, I wasn't asking you to a work lunch."

Ah, no of course he wasn't. He did just send me a beautiful bouquet of roses, why on earth would he ask me to a _work_ lunch?

"Oh… um, well, how about dinner? My place? I can cook." I'm suddenly _very_ grateful that this conversation is taking place over the phone so he can't see me blushing. Merlin, when was the last time I blushed at the thought of dinner?

"Dinner would be lovely." I can hear the smirk in his voice. "How does Friday sound?"

"I thought you wouldn't want to wait that long to do the ink test."

He scoffs. "Of course I don't. I'll swing by your office sometime after your meeting with the Chief Warlock and we'll do it then. What time would work best for you?"

I glance at my planner. "I should have some time around three. Just Floo over any time after that."

"Perfect; I'll see you then."

I don't move after he disconnects, I think I am still a little shocked. Malfoy officially asked me out on a date. And I agreed- at my house no less! Merlin, what have I gotten myself into now? Shaking my head, I pick up the roses and move them to the windowsill behind my desk to they can get more sunlight. I turn and notice my messages on my desk. The first is just a reminder of my meeting at one and the other is from Harry.

Curious, I open the envelope attached to his note (which was an ominous "You owe me") to find the front page of today's _Prophet_. Written in bold lettering is the title: **Draco Malfoy Defends Hermione Granger's Honor**. A smile breaks out across my face. The image beneath the headline is a perfectly timed shot of Malfoy's fist colliding with Ron's nose. In the background of the picture, I can see the surprise on my own features, as well and Harry and Ginny's. Something catches my eye and I squint at the picture. With a start, I realize the shirt I wore last night was a bit tighter than I initially realized, showing off the hint of the beginnings a baby bump. I am already starting to show. Trying to ignore the fact that I _am_ roughly three months pregnant, I sit down in my chair and unfold the paper to read the article.

 _While we at the_ Daily Prophet _never condone violence, it appears Mr. Draco Malfoy has found violence to be the best way to defend the honor of one Hermione Granger against her ex-fiancé, Ronald Weasley. After a dinner out with Harry and Ginny Potter, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger were approached by Mr. Weasley who immediately began hurling insults at his former partner. When neither Mr. Potter nor his wife succeeded in calming down Mr. Weasley, an unlikely hero stepped in to save the day._

" _Draco has always had a flare for the dramatic," Mr. Potter said with a smile after the incident. "He knows how much the three of us loath any type of violence, but at the end of the night, he defended Hermione, which is what friends do. Of course I wish he would have been a little more peaceful in his efforts, but Ginny and I weren't able to calm Ron down with words, so as he usually does, Draco took matters into his own hands. It's one of the many things I admire about him."_

 _Despite their disapproval over how Mr. Malfoy handled the situation, the Potters expressed gratefulness that he stepped in for Miss Granger._

" _Draco has been a dear friend ever since the trails," Mrs. Potter explained. "But he was always hesitant about being seen with us in public because he was worried about the attention we would receive, as well as all the nasty things people would say about him. Tonight was one of the few times we've ever convinced him to come out with us. And despite his reservations, he never once thought about his own reputation before he defended Hermione's. Honestly, we're so lucky to have befriended him."_

 _Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger could not be reached for comment, as he appeared to have had injured his hand thanks to his gallant actions and Miss Granger wanted to be certain he was cared for. Mr. Weasley denies any friendship between himself and Mr. Malfoy and has threatened legal action against him. No word yet on any case being filed._

My smile grows wider and I can't contain my laughter. Oh, this is just too perfect! Reaching for my phone, I dial Harry's office.

"Office to the Head of the Auror Department, Josh speaking."

"Hey Josh; it's Hermione Granger. Is Harry busy at the moment?"

There is some shuffling of paper on the other end before he replies. "No, he has about fifteen minutes before his next meeting. Would you like me to patch you through?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

The line goes quiet for a moment as Josh transfers my call to Harry's office. After a minute, he finally picks up. "Hello?"

"You are bloody brilliant."

He laughs and I can hear his chair squeak as he leans back into it. "I am, aren't I? You're lucky that article turned out so well; if blood hadn't been pouring down Ron's face I'm not sure we would've been able to come up with such a solid story and excuse. We rather lucked out that he was too preoccupied with keeping blood from spilling into his mouth."

"Well, he deserved it anyway," I say lightly. "I'm assuming he went to St. Mungo's and had it fixed?"

"Yeah. Gin offered to do it for him after we ditched the reporters, but he was too pissed after the story we gave them about Malfoy, so he's currently not speaking to either of us."

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry! I never wanted to cause trouble between you and Ron-"

"I know, I know. That's why I'm not super mad. I'm a bit annoyed with you, don't get me wrong, but I'm not mad. Ron pretty much gave Gin and me an ultimatum after the incident. He told us we could either continue to go along with our story and be friends with you, or we could admit we lied and instead help him with the custody battle. You never asked Ginny and I to choose between the two of you and we're grateful for that."

"Well… I'm sure Ron will come round eventually."

"I think so as well, but for the time being, I'm going to let him just cool down. I don't really fancy dealing with him and his pissy mood; especially since I kind of wanted to punch him last night. I'm a bit peeved Malfoy beat me to it."

I laugh. "Harry James Potter!"

"Like you didn't think about hitting him! He was completely out of line!"

"That may be so, but it's like I told Malfoy: you can't just go around punching people. We're much too civilized for that."

"And what did he say to that?"

I pause before admitting, "He reminded me that I punched him in third year."

I end up hanging up on Harry because he's laughing too hard.

* * *

"Are you sure you know how this works?" Malfoy asks as he strolls into my office and shuts the door behind him. "If I remember correctly, there weren't any instructions on it."

"Don't worry, he told me how to use it in the letter he sent," I say with a wave of my hand. "It'll be fine."

Malfoy hums in response and moves to stand beside me, stooping down to kiss my temple.

"What was that for?"

"Shut up. I'm wooing you, remember?"

I shake my head and bite the inside of my cheek to keep my smile from getting too big. I could definitely get used to this attention. Forcing myself not to look at him (or grab him by the collar and snog him furiously), I grab the vial George sent me and the case file. I pull off the stopper and slowly pour a bit of a clear liquid onto the parchment.

Malfoy notices before me that something is wrong. His arms wrap around me as he pulls me to his chest and drops to the floor, landing on his bum and dragging me down with him. I hear the sizzling and see the smoke as his legs wrap around me, his arms tightening their grip so I'm trapped in a cage of his limbs. And just before my desk explodes, Malfoy bends his legs to cover my stomach and chest, his arms moving up to shield my face.

Peeking through the cracks of his fingers, I see my office in complete shambles. Shards of wood are scattered across the floor. Some have even impaled the other furniture in my office.

"What the fuck was that?"

I turn my head to look up at Malfoy, who has yet to detangle himself from me. He is staring at my office in complete shock and horror.

"It exploded," I say simply.

"No shit it exploded! _Why_ did it explode?"

I shrug. "It's a product of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes- honestly, I would have been a bit concerned if it _didn't_ blow up." I try to wrestle my way out of his arms, but Malfoy holds me firmly. "Um, can you let go please?"

"Absolutely not."

The pieces of my desk start to smoke and Malfoy manages to release me for a split second, before changing our positions so he is now laying on top of me so we are face to face. I turn my head and watch in surprise as my desk rebuilds itself, completely erasing the evidence of the explosion. Malfoy suddenly buries his head in my neck and cover our heads with his hands as one of the legs of my desk zooms over us to properly attach itself.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" I ask once my desk has completely fixed itself.

"No, but I assumed something to that affect would happen. George would have to deal with a lot of property damage lawsuits if he didn't either warn people about the explosion or fix the things that were damaged in the process."

"Oh." I pause, waiting for him to stand. When he doesn't, I arch an eyebrow. "Will you let me up now?"

"Do you have any meetings tonight?"

"No, just paperwork. Why?"

"Well, since you don't, I can justify this then."

His lips are on my neck then and I gasp in surprise. His hands move to hold down my wrists to keep me still as I squirm beneath him. I arch my back when he bites down and do my best to hold in my moan. Merlin, he is so frustrating!

"Malfoy!" I gasp. "We are at _work_!"

Any attempt to reason with him vanishes the instant his lips move down to where my neck meets my collarbone and he bites down again. It isn't until he begins to suck that I realize what he's doing. The little shit is giving me a hickey! Part of me wants to shove him off- I don't want to have to wear a scarf for a week!- but I can't bring myself to do it because _fuck_ he is an amazing kisser.

"Do you want me to stop?" he mumbles against my neck.

"No! Yes! Oh, just get off!"

He does what I ask and offers me a hand to help me to my feet, a cocky grin on his face. Prick.

"Okay," I say, trying to control the blush on my face. "Let's lay some ground rules here. One, never do that again while we are at work; got it?"

"Yes." He's trying not to smile now, but he knows I enjoyed it, damn bastard.

"Two, _never_ give me a hickey where someone can see it."

"Does that mean I get to give you another one?"

I pause. I probably should just tell him to stop with any and all kissing, but on the other hand, I've really missed snogging and he definitely knows what he's doing. "Maybe. It depends on how your wooing me goes."

He arches an eyebrow. "I'd say it's going pretty well, considering you didn't hex me just now."

"I'm certainly thinking about it," I mutter.

Malfoy laughs and shakes his head. "No you aren't. And just so you know, it is in an easily hidden spot." He steps forward, his fingers grazing my throat as he readjusts the collar of my blouse, even going so far as to button it once more.

Not entirely trusting him, I turn toward the window to see my reflection. Sure enough, my blouse covers the spot he kissed and it doesn't even look like I'm hiding something. He is smirking at my reflection and I don't even him the satisfaction of saying anything.

I brush past him to my desk to look at the paper.

"Um, Malfoy? We might have a problem…"

"Please tell me George's potion didn't destroy the case file. I so do not want to have to write up a report about how we blew up the _original_ copy."

"No; it's fine and it worked."

"So what's the problem?"

He comes to stand beside and looks over at the paper. Silence hangs around us as we stare at the missing name: Christopher Anderson- the man Malfoy and I just put in Azkaban with three life sentences two months ago.

"Are we sure that's right?" Malfoy finally asks. "We don't want to bring this up to the DMLE and be wrong about it."

I sigh and shake my head. "We knew he was an Auror before we found out about what he was doing to those kids- it's how he got away with it for so long. And now the Department is trying to cover up its tracks because they don't want to remind the public that one of our own Aurors became a murderer. The defense is already going to have a field day when they find out he was one of the four Aurors in the field that day; they're going to claim that Anderson did it, not Madison. Imagine what will happen when they find out the Department tried to cover it up!"

"There's got to be a way we can fix this," Malfoy reasons. "If we find out who tried to cover up Anderson's involvement in the case-"

I shake my head. "You know how much the Wizengamot loves this kind of stuff. We'd have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Madison is guilty _and_ that whoever messed with the file acted under their own direction. If it's revealed that someone in the Auror Department or even the DMLE ordered this cover up… Madison's going to walk."

"Leave this to me, Granger. This is my job. My department will handle it; you tell Potter so he is aware of the situation and no one else. I'll let you know when I find something out. In the meantime, try not to worry so much. We'll get Madison."

"How can you be so sure?"

Malfoy steps closer to me and cups my cheek with his hand. "Because neither one of us is going to let that happen."

I smile and nuzzle his palm with my nose. "You've got that right. Let's convict a killer."


	14. Chapter 14

"Shit, shit, shit, double shit," I mutter under my breath as I move around in my kitchen, hastily putting the finishing touches on the dinner I'm preparing. For my date. With Malfoy. I glance toward the clock. I still have time.

I hurry toward my bedroom and throw off my apron, discarding it out of sight in my closet. I shimmy out of my sweatpants and pull on a pair of jeans and a loose fitting sweater, hoping my baby bump doesn't show through too much. A glance in the mirror tells me my hair will definitely _not_ cooperate this evening if I attempt anything remotely manual. With a flick of my wand, my hair pulls itself into an elegant ballerina bun with a few curls left out to frame my face. I am applying my lipstick when there is a knock on my door.

"Just a second!" I call, double checking my appearance before exiting my bedroom and making my way to the entrance of my flat.

I open the door to see Malfoy dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt holding a single red rose.

"Good evening," he says with a cocky grin, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I reply, accepting the flower with an easy smile. "Come on in."

I step aside so he can enter and shut the door behind him. Malfoy follows me into the kitchen and I can feel his eyes on me as I retrieve a small vase from the cabinet above the sink and fill it with water for the flower.

"How was your day at work?" I ask as I brush past him to place the rose in the center of the table.

"Oh no, Granger, I'll be having none of that. This is our first real date; I will not let you ruin it by talking about the case."

I arch an eyebrow. "How on earth will that ruin it?"

"Because," he interjects, putting a finger to my lips to silence me, "you'll start worrying about it and you'll want to start working on it immediately. Relax and trust that my department can handle this." His hand ghosts down my neck as he speaks and he steps closer to me so I have to tilt my head up to look at him. I feel his other hand on my waist, pulling me against his chest. He leans in toward my lips—

"I have a new rule," I say suddenly, stopping him in his tracks.

"And this rule is?"

"I'd like you to keep your hands, and mouth, to yourself tonight. Unless I say otherwise."

Instantly he steps away from me, withdrawing his hands, although he does sigh overdramatically, earning him a grin. "You're no fun," he teases. "But very well, I will not touch you in any way unless you tell me to. May I ask why the sudden change in your opinion of my snogging skills?"

A blush creeps up onto my skin and I will it away. "I think we both know your snogging skills are bloody perfect, but I want to see if you can woo me without having to touch me. How is your way with words, Mr. Malfoy?"

He flashes me a toothy smile. "Oh, excellent, I assure you."

I shake my head in reply and return to the kitchen to check on the dinner. Malfoy follows me and leans against the fridge as I lift the lid to a pot.

"What's on the menu for this evening?" he asks when I carry the pot to the sink to strain the water.

"Pasta. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is."

I don't even have to look at him to know he is giving me a wolfish grin. Pointedly ignoring him, I take the sauce pot off the stove and pour its contents onto the cooked noodles. I carry the pot to the table and motion for Malfoy to sit down as I fill his plate with the pasta and then serve myself.

"Thank you," he says upon accepting his plate. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I have a gift for you."

I arch an eyebrow as he points his wand at my glass, turning the water a deep shade of red. "What is it?" I ask, staring at it curiously.

"A charm that makes water taste like wine. I overheard you complaining to Ginny the other day at dinner that you missed being able to drink wine every so often. There is not a single drop of alcohol in your glass."

I look up at him in surprise. "Are you serious? There's a charm for that?"

"Impressive, isn't it?"

I hesitantly take a slip of the drink. It is sweet and rich like my favorite wine, but there is not the tang of alcohol I've come to expect. I look up at him, my smile spreading across my face. "This is too perfect to be true."

"Kind of like me."

"Your love of yourself knows no bounds."

Malfoy simply smiles in response.

* * *

"I have a question for you," Malfoy says after we've finished eating. "That club you, Potter, and Weasley founded during our fifth year, what was it?"

"Umbridge never explained it to you?"

"No; she didn't really talk to us. I think she just was looking for an excuse to give Slytherin extra House Points and I was all for that. I was getting a lot of pressure from my father to please her." The air around us seems to grow colder at the mention of Lucius Malfoy and I repress a shiver. Malfoy seems to notice and he gives me a half-smile in apology.

"Well," I say, standing and gathering the plates from the table, "we wanted to learn how to protect ourselves from the dangers lurking outside Hogwarts's gates. Ron and I knew that Harry had fought Voldemort the year before and when Umbridge refused to teach us how to prepare ourselves, we convinced Harry to teach us."

"Wait, it wasn't Potter's idea?"

I shake my head, placing the dishes in the sink as I turn on the hot water to wash them by hand. "Harry didn't think anyone would want to learn from him since no one really believed him that Voldemort was back. Fudge did a great job keeping the _Daily Prophet_ on his side and unfortunately, a few of our good friends believed it. In the end though, Ron and I convinced him. He really is a great teacher; if he hadn't become an Auror, I would have tried to convince him to take the DADA positon at the school."

Malfoy places the remaining dishes on the counter beside me and moves to dry the ones I've already cleaned. "I would have thought that you taught everyone."

"Oh Merlin, no. If it had been a different subject, maybe I would have, but Defense has always been Harry's strong suit. I learned a lot from him."

"Like what? I'm starting to feel a little left out here; you lot actually learned things that year- I nearly died of boredom in that class."

I shrug, my eyes glancing over at him to see that he is still drying the dishes by hand and my heart warms at the sight. "We learned a lot of the basics I suppose. Disarming, stunning, and the like. The last spell Harry taught us before we were caught was the Patronus charm."

"You can produce a Patronus?" He sounds awed. "What is it? Can I see?"

I hesitate. "I… I've always had trouble with making a Patronus; it's the one spell I've never been able to get completely right."

"Rubbish," Malfoy says with a grin. "I honestly doubt there is any spell you can't do. But, if you don't want to, you don't have to show me. I won't push."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but what about you? Can't you cast a Patronus?"

"I've never tried to be honest, and besides, that is incredibly advanced magic; I'm honestly not sure I could produce one if I tried."

I hum to myself and hand him the last dish. "I might have to make you try now."

Malfoy arches an eyebrow. "Good luck with that Granger; it'll take more than that to get me to embarrass myself just yet."

"Embarrass yourself?" I ask innocently.

"You know perfectly well that you out-performed me every year at school; I'm not sure my ego is prepared to open old wounds."

"You make it sound like I left you in the dust! You were always right behind me in grades, Malfoy. If anyone could give me a run for my money, it'd be you."

"Why thank you, Granger," he says with a deep bow, causing me to laugh.

I curtsey in reply before grabbing my glass of wine flavored water and moving to the living room. Setting my glass on the coffee table, I lower myself onto the couch, Malfoy doing the same, but turning slightly so he is sitting at an angle.

"I have another question," he announces after looking at me for a moment.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Well Miss Granger, I have officially been wooing you for a week now. Tell me, how have I been doing?"

"You have been driving me crazy," I answer truthfully.

"Have I now? Well go, explain."

"Absolutely not! You've got to give me some personal information before I start spilling all my secrets."

Malfoy grins. "Already one of your secrets, am I?" I smack his arm and he laughs. "Fine, fine. What would you like to know, Granger?"

A dangerously taboo topic flashes in my mind. It must be clear on my features, because Malfoy's smile falls. I don't even have to ask. His eyes stay on mine as he rolls up his left sleeve. Harsh black against the paleness of his forearm, a jagged scar is all that remains of his Dark Mark. Hesitantly, I reach out to stroke his skin, feeling the raised scar tissue.

"Did it hurt?" I ask softly, my fingers still on his skin.

"Yes." His voice is soft. "It burned horribly when I first got it, and then it burned every time he… Voldemort summoned us. I wish I would have known that… that that path wasn't what I really wanted." He grows quiet as if he wants to say more, but decides against it.

"You're not that person anymore." Holding his forearm gently, I bring it to my lips and kiss the scar.

"You are making it _very_ difficult to obey your rule right now."

"Then don't."

His hands grab my hips as he pulls me toward him and onto his lap, my hands framing his face as I kiss him. I push him further into the cushions as one of his hands slip beneath the hem of my sweater, his palm flat against the skin of my back. I tug on fistfuls of his hair and he growls deep in his throat before tearing his lips from mine and tracing open-mouth kisses down the side of my throat.

"This is how you drive me crazy," I say breathlessly as he continues to ravish my neck.

"Physically?" he chuckles against my skin before biting down and making me moan.

"And emotionally," I manage to pant out. That gets his attention and he suddenly stops his attack on my neck so he can lean back and look at me.

"Emotionally?" he repeats.

"I like you."

A lazy grin stretches around his face. "You like me?"

"Yes, you insufferable man, I like you."

"It only took me a week to convince you I was perfect in every single way?"

"Oh shut up," I say before capturing his lips with mine. He laughs into my kiss, his arms tightening around me to pull me closer. Just as his hand begins sliding up my back toward my bra clasp, a knock on my door echoes through the flat. We break away and look at each other for a moment, no doubt to make sure we didn't imagine the sound.

"Are you expecting someone?" Malfoy asks, his tone teasing.

I shake my head and untangle myself from his arms before exiting the living room and moving to check the peephole of the front door.

"Shit," I hiss, backing away from the door and bumping into Malfoy's chest, as he had apparently followed me. "It's Ron."

"Weasley?" Malfoy's eyebrows shoot up in surprise before he glares at the door. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I have no idea. He moved all of his things out months ago," I say before biting my lower lip. "Should I pretend that I'm not home?"

Ron knocks again and this time calls my name. "Come on, Hermione! Open up; I just want to talk!"

"Do you want to talk to him?" Malfoy asks. "I could go hide in your bedroom if you'd like."

"Absolutely not; we are on a date. I am not going to make you hide anywhere."

My words make him smile and he wraps an arm around me to pull me close.

"Hermione!" Ron yells again.

"Just a moment!" I finally call, my eyes still on Malfoy. "I'm going to open the door," I decide. "But, I don't want him coming inside."

Malfoy nods. "Then he won't."

Taking a deep breath, I move out of Malfoy's embrace and open my door. Ron has his hands in his pockets and he's looking at me sheepishly, just like old times when he wanted to apologize for something he's done. Then he notices Malfoy standing behind me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question, Weasley," Malfoy replies hotly, crossing his arms against his chest.

Ron's ears turn a deep shade of red and I quickly move to block his vision of Malfoy. "What do you want, Ron?"

"I wanted to settle our problems like adults, but clearly that is not going to happen! You're fucking Malfoy to swing the custody battle, aren't you?"

"How dare you!" I scream. "We've known each other for _years_ , Ronald Weasley! Is your opinion of me so low that you would actually assume that I would sleep with the Head of the Investigation Department to ensure I was granted custody of our child? I want our baby to grow up in a household where they will be loved and cared for, and if I believed you could provide that, I would be seeking joint custody instead of full!" I can feel Malfoy's hand on my lower back to calm me, but I shake him off. "I would _never_ do something as vile and repulsive as what you just accused me of! Malfoy isn't even the investigator in charge of our bloody case! In fact, there are _three_ different wizards assigned to us, you pompous twat!"

"Then are you just fucking him to make me jealous? Got Harry and Ginny in on it too, did you?"

My wand is out before I even realize it, the tip of it jutting into Ron's neck.

"Granger," Malfoy warns me softly. This time his hand grabs hold of my free one, his fingers lacing together with mine so I can't shake him off. His touch is soothing and I lower my wand, but the anger and fire still rages inside of me.

"Malfoy and I are _not_ sleeping together, Ronald," I hiss. "And if we were, I wouldn't be doing it to make you jealous. I am _beyond_ over you and have no desire to see you again until you have matured. You have insulted me in every possible way, and I will not listen to another word you have to say. Leave. Now."

I step backward into Malfoy's chest and slam the door to the flat with such force a nearby picture frame falls to the ground, the glass shattering.

"I hate him!" I scream, storming away from Malfoy and deeper in my flat. "He ruins everything!"

Malfoy keeps a safe distance from me as my anger rages inside of me, manifesting itself in screams. His silver eyes follow my every move, but not once does he tell me to sit or calm down. It isn't until I lower myself to the couch that he finally moves to sit beside me. I lean into him, my head on his chest as he reclines against the armrest. He strokes my arm, his fingers drawing patterns into my skin, and he doesn't speak.

"Thank you," I whisper after a little while.

"For what exactly?"

"For letting me handle Ron."

He laughs softly. "You never said our code word; it wasn't my place."

"I'm sorry he ruined our evening."

"He did nothing of the sort. I had a fantastic evening with you. If anything, he cut our snogging session short."

"Well we could always fix that…"

"Thank Merlin, I'd thought you'd never ask."


	15. Chapter 15

"Wait, I still don't understand," Malfoy says as he follows me into my office. "Your Muggle doctor can print a _picture_ of your unborn child, but she can't tell you if you're having a boy or a girl yet? I thought you said you'd find out today."

I roll my eyes as I walk to my desk, my hands cradling my slightly larger stomach. "Today's appointment was the _earliest_ possible date I could find out the gender, but my doctor couldn't make it out based on the way my baby is sitting in the womb. I suspect that I'll figure out the gender at my next appointment. Besides, four months is pretty early to determine the sex. Most women don't figure out what they're having until five or six months along."

"You know, a Healer at St. Mungo's could perform a spell that would tell you right away…"

I turn to meet his silver eyes. "I told you at my three month checkup: I want to approach this pregnancy as magic-free as possible. No unnecessary spells will be cast; I'll wait until my next appointment like a normal woman."

He gives me a lazy grin as he moves toward me, wrapping his arms securely around my waist when he gets close enough. "I know, I know. And I commend you for being so patient. Me on the other hand…" His voice trails off as he tilts my face up so he can kiss me.

I smile into his kiss despite myself and push him away before he can do any damage. "I believe I made the no kissing at work rule over a month ago, Malfoy. You should know better."

Flashing me a wicked smile, he kisses behind my ear before quickly moving away from me so I can't slap his arm. "I wasn't sorted into Slytherin for nothing, Granger."

"You're ridiculous," I say shaking my head in the hopes that I can hide my widening smile.

"I may be ridiculous, but you are positively mad."

"Oh? How am I mad?"

"Poor thing, you really have to ask?" His smirk cuts across his face, his eyes light. "If you have to ask, I'm not sure you want to know the answer."

I move to put my desk between us and lower myself into my chair, grateful to be off my feet before I smile sweetly at him. "Well go on. Tell me why I'm crazy. I'm even sitting down in advance to prepare myself for this revelation."

"Hmm." Malfoy taps his finger to his lips as he glides across my office to sit across from me. "I'll tell you, but on one condition."

"You really are a Slytherin; what's the condition?"

"Have dinner at my place tonight."

"Your place?" I repeat, my surprise clear in my voice. In the past month, Malfoy has never once invited me over to his flat. To be honest, I didn't mind us only hanging out at my place; it saved me having to go anywhere and I felt no guilt over kicking him out whenever it got too late.

As if sensing my hesitation, Malfoy gives me a small smile. "I promise I don't live in a dungeon or anything similar to my parents' manor. Just a perfectly normal flat."

"Are you going to cook for me?"

"I suppose you'll just have to find out, won't you?" He gives me a look when I don't immediately reply. "Come on, Granger. What sort of gentleman would I be if I never had you over at my flat? And since I drove you to your doctor's appointment today, I have my car here. You don't even have to worry about catching a cab."

"Well… okay fine, you win. I'll have dinner at your flat tonight."

"Excellent! What time do you want to leave here then? Six?"

I glance at the pile of work at the corner of my desk. Since I came in late today for my appointment, I was already behind and typically, I'd stay later to make up for it. But, it _is_ Friday and I am allowed to work from home on Saturdays again thanks to my pregnancy…

"No; how about five? I can make up my work this weekend."

"You've been spending too much time with me; you're starting to behave like a normal human being, what with leaving the office at a reasonable hour!" He stands and leans over my desk to press his lips to mine softly before moving toward my door. "I'll see you at five!"

"Hey! You broke the rule again!" I call after him, just before the door closes.

Malfoy catches the door before it latches and leans back in, his characteristic smirk on his face. "Yes, I did. Get used to it."

"You're impossible."

* * *

I glance up toward my office door at the sound of the knock. "Come in."

Ginny pokes her head in and gives me a toothy grin. "Hey stranger! How have you been?"

I close my file and stand to meet her half way, giving her a hug. "I've been great! I just had my four month checkup this morning and everything is going well with the baby too."

"Fantastic! Did you happen to find out if you're having a boy or a girl yet? I want to start planning your baby shower."

"Oh, Gin, you don't have to do that-"

"I know, but I _want_ to! I'm going to be an aunt! I mean, I already am one what with my brothers all having kids, but you're my best friend; it's a big deal."

I laugh and shake my head. "Well thank you very much, but I don't know what I'm having yet. My doctor couldn't make out the gender based on the baby's position. And besides, it was a little early to determine the sex anyway."

"I still can't believe you don't want to just go to St. Mungo's and have them tell you."

"Malfoy said the exact same thing this morning."

Ginny's red eyebrows shoot skyward at the mention of Malfoy, her lips pulling back into a smirk. "Did he now? And how is Mr. Malfoy?"

I turn so she can't see my face when I reply, "He's fine and still insisting that he drive me to my appointments. Apparition is bad for the baby and since it's getting colder I really shouldn't be walking. If anything he's saving me from having to get a cab."

"What a gentleman!" She pauses and waits for me to look back at her before continuing. "But speaking of gentlemen, my wonderful husband and I were wondering if you had plans for this evening. We want to take you out to a nice dinner and a movie. Harry's even agreed to take us to the _cinema_. Do you know how long I've been _begging_ him to take me back there?"

"Ever since you threw your popcorn at the screen because you thought the murderer was real and coming to get you?"

"Neither of you are going to let that go, are you?"

"Considering it still makes me laugh, no."

Ginny scowls, but the corners of her lips begin to turn up the longer I hold her gaze. "Well, all that aside, doesn't dinner and a movie sound wonderful? Come on, treat yourself!"

"Sorry, Gin, but I actually already have plans for tonight."

"Plans or _plans_?"

"You literally just repeated the same word."

"Yes, but I emphasized one. Are you planning on just working all evening, or are you actually going to have fun and got out?"

"I am hanging out with someone, but I'm sure I'll be working too. I don't know."

"Who are you going to be spending this evening with? He must be pretty great if you are willing to pass on a night out with Harry and I."

I shrug noncommittedly and hope my cheeks aren't red. "He is pretty nice. I really like him."

"This is the part of the conversation when you give me his _name_."

"Miss Granger?" April's voice coming through my intercom is a Godsend. "Mr. Malfoy is here to see you."

"Ah, duty calls. Send him in a second, April." I look to Ginny and shrug. "I'll have to tell you all about him some other time."

"Mark my words, Hermione Granger," Ginny says as Malfoy opens the door. "I will grill you for details on your mystery date this weekend."

I notice how Malfoy's eyebrows shoot up at her comment, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut.

"I believe you, Gin," I say with a laugh. "We'll get lunch on Sunday, I promise."

"Good." She turns to leave and gives Malfoy a smile before punching his arm. "Hey Malfoy! Don't keep her too long; she's got a hot date tonight."

"So I've heard," he replies with a toothy grin. "I'll do my best." He waits until she leaves and door latches behind her before looking to me. "A hot date, huh? Should I be worried?"

I shrug, trying- and failing- to conceal my smirk. "Perhaps…"

Arching an eyebrow, Malfoy stalks toward me and wraps me securely in his arms. "This bloke can't really be better looking than me; I mean, look at me."

I cock my head to the side, my hands trailing up his arms to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Hmm," I muse to myself, studying his features. "You really shouldn't be so cocky."

Malfoy moves one hand from my hip to wave it in front of him. "Is your eyesight going, Granger? With a face like mine, I think I'm entitled to some vanity."

"Oh shut up."

"Gladly."

I smile despite myself when he kisses me. Breaking the rules isn't bad all the time. A slow bubble begins to build in my stomach, and at first I am able to pass it off for the normal butterflies Malfoy gives me. But then the bubbles begin to climb.

Shoving Malfoy away from me, and ignoring the confused look on his face, I bolt to my loo. I manage to make it just in time as my lunch makes a surprise visit. My hands clench the side of the toilet as I lurch forward again. Cool hands pull my hair away from my face and hold it behind me. He's silent as my body runs its course; one of his hands moving to hold all of my hair while the other rubs my back.

"I have to say that this is the first time I've caused a girl to vomit," he jokes once I flush and rest my head against the side of the toilet.

I laugh humorlessly, my shoulder slumping. "This has been happening lately; my pregnancy symptoms are finally starting to show up and unfortunately, vomiting is one of them."

He releases my curls and rubs my shoulders comfortingly before he helps me stand. I move to the sink and conjure up a toothbrush. I don't meet his eyes in the mirror as I hurriedly brush my teeth to get the foul taste out of my mouth. I keep my head ducked once I finish, still too embarrassed to look at him. His arms are strong around me as he pulls me to his chest, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Sorry," I murmur.

"For what?"

I glance up to meet his eyes in the mirror before gesturing to the loo. "For the obvious."

Malfoy turns his head so he can press a kiss to my neck. "It's not a big deal, Granger; you're pregnant, these things are bound to happen. Besides, I've seen you vomit before, remember? After Anderson was released for weekend recess."

I scowl and fold my arms. "Way to ruin a sweet moment."

"Ruin? How so?"

"I'd rather not think about a convicted murderer while my boyfriend is holding me, thanks." It takes me a moment to realize what I'v called him. A deep red blush spreads across my cheeks; I instantly cover my face and attempt to move away from him, just to have him tighten his hold on me.

"Sorry Granger, I don't think I caught that. What did you call me?"

"Nothing; I didn't call you anything."

Malfoy spins me so we are pressed together chest-to-chest, his hands holding onto my hips so I can't escape. "Lying is more of a Slytherin trait, wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really? Because, I believe I heard you say I was your boyfriend, and judging by that blush on your face, I'd say I heard you correctly."

"Well, are you?" I say, deciding to be bold.

His lips turn up into his trademark smirk before he leans in and kisses me hungrily. His mouth ravishes mine, his hands pulling my body closer to his, completely disregarding my baby bump. I return his kiss with the same level of passion, smiling when his tongue traces my lower lip and granting him the access he craves. I tangle one hand in his blond hair, the other gripping the side of his shirt tightly to keep him close.

"You are most _definitely_ my girlfriend," he murmurs softly against my lips, completely changing our kiss from hungry and desperate to soft and gentle.

Our kisses slow and our grip on the other loosens. Malfoy presses a soft kiss to my forehead before stepping away from me slightly so he is no longer pressed up against me.

"Does that answer your question?" he asks cockily.

"Yes, you impossible over-achiever."

"Over-achiever, huh? That's a new one."

I roll my eyes and exit the bathroom, making my way to the closet in my office where my coat is hanging. Malfoy watches me as I pull it on and gather up some files I need to continue reading over the weekend, shoving them into my purse. When I glance up at him once I've got everything, I am not surprised to see he simply summoned his jacket from his office.

We exit my office, making our way to the lifts and then outside to Muggle London. The winter air blows softly against my face once we exit the Ministry and I pull my coat tighter around myself as Malfoy leads the way to the parking garage where he's stowed his car for the day.

"Oh thank Merlin," I breathe in relief when his shiny black BMW comes into view. "I am _freezing._ "

Malfoy chuckles under his breath as we slide into the car. His hand comes to rest lightly on my thigh as he pulls out of the parking spot and begins to drive. His fingers draw absentminded patterns on the fabric of my trousers as we drive through London and I do my best not to let his touch distract me too much.

"You mentioned that I was crazy earlier today," I say, suddenly remembering. "I believe an explanation is in order."

"I thought we had figured all that out before we left your office." His silver eyes glance away from the road briefly so he can look at me and smile. "You are crazy because you are dating _me_."

I laugh, my hand moving to lace my fingers through his. "That's what makes me crazy? I'm pretty sure every girl at Hogwarts would have disagreed with you. They probably are all jealous. Or, they would be if they knew."

Malfoy squeezes my fingers softly. "I meant, that you are crazy for dating me in the sense that you are the Golden Girl of Gryffindor, best friend to the Boy-Who-Lived and I am a former _Death Eater_. To be honest Granger, I'm starting to worry that your pregnancy is messing with your common sense."

I laugh and shake my head. "My common sense is perfectly fine, Malfoy. I know exactly what I'm doing."

He gives me a look as he pulls up to his apartment complex. "Like I said, I worry about your sense of judgement."

I smirk and step out of the car, glancing up at the building. It's massive and elegant; as if I expected anything less than the Malfoy heir. There's even a valet like at a hotel for Merlin's sake! I watch as Malfoy speaks to the Muggle boy and hands him the keys to the car, my eyes drifting past them to the shrubs planted on either side of the building. I recognize the camera of a _Prophet_ reporter immediately and my stomach clenches.

"Granger? You all right?" Malfoy is giving me a slightly concerned look as the valet drives away, momentarily blocking my view of the reporter.

"There's a _Prophet_ reporter hiding out in the shrubs."

"Fuck," Malfoy hisses under his breath. "That'd be Mario. He has been my own personal annoyance for years now. If any reporter manages to get a picture of me, it's him. I'm sorry, I've gotten so used to him and just Flooing to avoid him that I'd completely forgot about him. What do you want to do?"

I bite my lower lip in concentration. "Well, I mean… he's probably already got pictures of us together. And Harry and Ginny aren't with us, so they can spin the story however they want to at this point…"

Malfoy's eyebrows shoot skyward. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

I don't answer.

"This is what you want? There's no going back after it, you know that, right? We're going to be hounded everywhere we go now. Well, not that we weren't already, but you get the idea."

"I'm not ashamed of you if that's what you're worried about," I say looking up at him. "My one concern is that the two of us just officially decided we were dating less than half an hour ago. Is it too fast to let the rest of the world know?"

"Maybe, but they were bound to find out eventually," Malfoy reasons. "Besides, think about all the girls from our Hogwarts class who are going to be even more jealous of you than usual now."

"More jealous than usual?" I repeat. "Why are they jealous now?"

Malfoy's arms come up around my hips to draw me toward him, his eyes soft. "Granger, they should be jealous of everything about you."

My eyes flutter shut as he kisses me gently. My arms snake around his neck as an automatic response, my body pressed up against his. The rest of the world seems to melt away whenever Malfoy kisses me, and this time is no exception. When he pulls away, he kisses my forehead before taking my hand in his and leading me into the apartment complex.

* * *

"Delivery?" I ask in surprise when the doorbell to Malfoy's flat rings. "I thought you'd be cooking for me."

He laughs as he untangles his arms from me and pulls himself off the couch to go to the door. "I'll cook for you another time, I promise. But I've wanted pizza since about eight this morning. Do you mind?"

"I always want pizza," I call to him as he opens the door to accept the food.

He returns a short while later with the pizza, plates and two drinks. Setting everything on the coffee table, Malfoy returns to his seat beside me, scooping up the remote and pointing it at the telly I was surprised to see he owned.

"What do you want to watch?" he asks, flipping through the channels.

I hesitate for a moment. "Actually, would you mind if we don't watch anything?" The telly goes black the moment I asked and I smile at him. "Thanks; my parents never let me watch TV while eating dinner, so some habits just die hard I guess."

"It's quite all right, I understand." He gives me a dashing smile. "Now you just get to stare at me, and let's be honest, I'm much better than some Muggle movie or show."

"I'm surprised you actually own a TV," I say thoughtfully, plucking a slice of the pizza out of the box.

"I blame you for it."

"Me?"

"Yes. Ever since you convinced the Ministry to allow phones however many years back it was, I have been drawn to Muggle technology. It's weird and I don't like it. I have a car, Granger. A _car_."

I laugh. "I am aware, Malfoy. I've been in it several times."

"I will never repeat what I am about to say," he warns, "but Muggle inventions are actually pretty fascinating. Although, I will admit that my telly is a relatively new purchase. I got it after seeing yours."

"You are a bit impulsive, aren't you?"

"And here I thought I was going such a good job at keeping myself reigned in."

I roll my eyes and continue to eat my pizza.

Our conversation flows throughout our dinner, and continues going so well that the TV never comes back on; something I am quite proud of. As the hours tick by, I find myself snuggled up against Malfoy on his couch, a blanket thrown around our legs, his hand gently playing with my hair.

"That's your third yawn in five minutes," he observes causally. "Are you tried?"

"I'm exhausted," I admit. "I should go home."

Malfoy looks down at me. His legs are intertwined with mine, my head resting on his chest with one hand holding onto his. Neither one of us show any signs of moving any time soon.

"You can stay if you want do," he says quietly. "I'll even promise to keep my hands to myself."

"But what will the neighbors think?" I tease sleepily.

He snorts. "Granger, the entirety of the British Wizarding World is going to know by this morning that we are together, who cares about my Muggle neighbors?"

I laugh, tightening my grip on his shirt. The idea of staying here with him is horribly tempting and I am so tired…

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Malfoy says in response to my mumble against his chest.

"You're sure you're okay with me staying?"

His arms tighten around me. "Of course I am."

"In that case then," I yawn again. "Good night."

Malfoy laughs softly and somehow manages to pull me into his arms and stand without getting his legs tangled up the in the blanket. I'm not even that surprised by the sudden feeling of being entirely in his arms as he carries to me to his room, lowering me gently to his bed.

"You might want to change out of your dress clothes," he observes. "I should have some old shirts if you want to wear one of those in my dresser. I'm going to shower so help yourself."

I wait until the bathroom door clicks shut and the water starts before I climb off the bed and dig through his dresser for his shirts. I find a nice black one and fumble out of my clothes before slipping it on. I open another drawer and find pajama pants. They are too big and I have to tie the string around the waist in a tight knot to get them to stay on, even with my bump, but I feel much better.

Crossing the room, I pull back the covers and crawl into the bed, falling asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.


	16. Chapter 16

There is a drum beating against my ear. Its tempo is slow and steady, a low hum creeping into my dream. Groaning, I open my eyes to discover the source of the beating, only to find my face resting on a bare chest. Startled, I stiffen instantly.

"Relax, Granger," comes a voice near my ear. "It's me." Malfoy's voice is husky with sleep.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot where I was."

An arm I wasn't fully aware of tightens around me, holding me closer to him. The longer I lay next to him, the more aware I become of our current position. Our bodies are intertwined like a jigsaw puzzle, one of my legs thrown carelessly over his hips, my arm stretched out across him.

"Did you sleep all right?"

"Mhm," I murmur, nestling closer to him. "Better than I have in a while. How about you?"

He inhales deeply, the sound echoing in the ear I have pressed against his chest. "The same; I should have had you stay the night with me long ago- who knew I would feel so well rested upon waking up?"

I laugh softly and begin to pull away from him.

"Hey, where are you going?"

I pause, smiling to give him a soft kiss before completely untangling our bodies. "I have to shower. Do you mind if I steal one of your shirts?"

"I mind that you are getting out of bed," he pouts. "But no, I don't mind if you take one of my shirts. I suppose I'll get up too; I'll even cook you breakfast since I didn't cook dinner."

I cross the bedroom and close the bathroom door behind me. Turning to the shower, my jaw drops. It's massive, with _three_ bloody showerheads and glass walls. And next to it is an equally large bathtub! The urge to submerge myself in a nice hot bubble bath is hard to ignore, but I somehow manage; mostly because I'm not sure if Malfoy has bath bubbles and also because I know if I get in that tub, I'm not getting out for at least an hour.

Opting for the shower, I turn on the water and slip into Malfoy's walk-in closet while it heats up. I locate a black button-down shirt and pull it off its hanger, taking it back with me into the bathroom. Shedding my borrowed pajamas, I step into the shower and let out a low moan of satisfaction. I will definitely be coming back to Malfoy's if only for the use of his shower. I massage my scalp as I use Malfoy's shampoo, enjoying that the shower smells like him. I finish washing myself and stand directly under the spray of water, letting my muscles relax under its warm cascade.

"Oi, Granger!" Malfoy calls with a knock on the door. "You've been in there for almost a half hour; breakfast is ready!"

"Sorry, I'll be right out!"

Reluctantly, I shut off the water and stumble out of the shower, drying myself off with the softest towel I can find. I slip into the black dress shirt and notice that it rides up a bit higher than I initially thought it would with my baby bump. Frowning, I poke my head out into the bedroom. Malfoy must have gone back to the kitchen, because I don't see him. I locate my underwear from the previous night and cast a quick cleansing charm with my wand before pulling them on and heading out.

Malfoy has his back to me as he messes with something on the stove. "That shower's wonderful, isn't?" he calls over his shoulder.

"It has three showerheads, of course it's amazing," I reply. "Honestly, I might only be dating you for your snogging skills and your bathroom."

Malfoy snorts and turns, holding a skillet of scrambled eggs. His eyes widen at the sight of me, his mouth dropping just a fraction.

"What?" I say, fidgeting with the end of his shirt.

"Granger, you are standing in a field of sunlight with wet hair, wearing nothing but a pair of knickers and one of my dress shirts. You are a bloody goddess."

A blush no doubt as brilliant as the Gryffindor house colors covers my cheeks and I instantly look away from him to hide my smile. "Seriously?"

"Of course! Now don't move, I need to put this down so I can snog you senseless."

He quickly puts the skillet down on the counter and wraps his arms around my waist, his mouth finding mine immediately. I laugh into his kiss, my hands sliding up his chest to his neck. His tongue traces my lower lip before drawing it behind his teeth and biting down gently, earning him a moan. He chuckles at the sound, his lips moving to kiss along my jaw line as one hand traces my hipbone before sliding along my thigh and drawing my leg up around his waist, his fingers drawing circles into my bare skin. My necks rank through his blond hair as he places open mouth kisses down my throat and helps me wrap my other leg around him so I am clinging to him desperately, his hands underneath my bum to hold me up. I gasp in surprise as his teeth scrape the skin of my neck and then moan as he bites down. Half a second later, my stomach growls, immediately killing the moment.

Malfoy's mouth breaks away from me as he laughs. "Dear Merlin, Granger! Why didn't you tell me you were starving?"

"I was enjoying being snogged senseless."

He laughs again and lowers me back to the ground. "We can continue this later, I assure you." Gesturing that I should take a seat, Malfoy turns back to the counter and carries the last few plates of food to the table. He waves his wand to reheat the food in case it grew cold during our snogging session before seating down across the table from me. "Just so you are aware," he says as I start to fill my plate, "breakfast food is my specialty."

I arch an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Really, so prepare to blow your mind."

* * *

"Okay, you were right," I say, pushing my plate away from me. "My mind has officially been blown."

Malfoy gives me a satisfied smirk as he leans back into his chair. "Told you so; when it comes to breakfast food, I am the master."

I smile and raise my glass of milk in a mock toast to his abilities when a tapping echoes through the flat. Malfoy glances behind him to the living room before pushing his chair away from the table and walking to the window. Curious, I follow him.

A tawny owl is perched outside, tapping its beck against the glass. Malfoy slides open the window and accepts the letter it carries on its leg. He pats the bird's head affectionately before it flies off and he shuts the window behind it.

"What is it?" I ask, noticing his furrowed brows as he looks at the letter.

"It's from the office."

He tears open the envelope and scans the contents of the letter before letting out a low growl. His silver eyes flicker up to mine. "I am really sorry Granger, but I have to go into the office for a couple of hours."

"Oh." My shoulder fall, my voice reflecting the disappointment I feel.

"I shouldn't be more than three or four hours," he says as he walks toward me. "Tell you what, you stay here. What's mine is yours, make yourself at home, and when I get back, I will spend the rest of the evening making it up to you."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

His classic smirk reappears on his face. "I've got a couple of ideas. What do you say?"

I glance around the flat, mulling it over. His place is very nice and I still have my work bag with me so I can get somethings done while he's at work too. And if he has his heart set on showering me in attention when he returns, who am I to argue with him?

"All right, Malfoy; you have a deal."

"Excellent," he purrs before capturing my lips in a kiss. He breaks away quickly and waves his wand to clean the kitchen before hurrying into his bedroom to change. He's back just a few minutes later wearing his work clothes and with another kiss for me, he Disapparates on the spot.

I sigh sadly at the loss of him before shaking off my disappointment. I head to the flat's main entrance and open the door to find a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ as expected. Humming to myself, I scoop it up and close the door behind me before unfolding the paper to read the front page.

I knew last night that going public with my relationship with Malfoy could be horrible, but to my surprise, the front page article didn't really even mention Malfoy. It is so much worse than what I was expecting.

* * *

"Granger? I'm back!" Malfoy's voice calls through his flat, but I don't respond to him. He'll find me soon enough.

His footsteps echo against the wood floors as he makes his way to the bedroom, cracking open the door.

"Granger? Darling, what happened?"

I'm sitting in the middle of his bed, surrounded by torn pieces of the _Prophet_ , a half empty tub of chocolate ice cream in my lap, the spoon still in my mouth. My face is tear streaked and used tissues litter the floor.

"I'm so sorry," I sob. "I know I'm probably just overreacting, but I can't stop crying!"

Malfoy drops his bag and jacket by the door and kicks off his shoes before crossing the room and climbing onto the bed with me. His silver eyes scan the pieces of the _Prophet_ article, putting together the gist of what was said about me from the headlines and horribly angled photos.

"They write awful things all the time, why am I just now getting upset?"

Malfoy gathers the pieces of the newspaper together and charms them to burn. "A few reasons probably. One, they crossed a line, which I will personally see they never do again. Two, they insulted you by objectifying your looks and berating you for not fitting their ridiculously standards for beauty, even though you are pregnant. And three, they insulted you as a human being by implying you have no moral compass and that you cheated on Weasley with me. I suppose your pregnancy hormones might have something to do with it too, but I think you are perfectly within reason to respond this way. Or to murder anyone remotely involved in the publication of this article."

His arms are around me now, holding me to his chest as he uses his wand to clean the mess on the bed and the floor.

"They made me feel worthless," I murmur against him. "Ugly and worthless."

Malfoy stiffens and tightens his arms around me before softening. "Granger… do you remember what I called you this morning?"

I nod absentmindedly. "You called me a goddess."

"I did, and as a goddess, you are meant to be worshipped and adored every moment of every day. With your permission, I would like to do that now."

"You… you're asking for permission to worship me?"

Malfoy rolls me onto my back so he is leaning over me, his hands flat on the mattress on either side of my head. "Yes, I am. Do I have your permission?"

"I… Do you need permission?"

"Of course I do; if this isn't what you need or want, I'd like you to tell me right now. There are other ways I can make you feel better."

I meet his eyes and chew on my bottom lip. How can he make asking me for my consent both sexy and comforting?

"Yes, Malfoy. You have my permission."

He smiles at me gently before lowering his mouth to mine and kissing me gently. He pulls away from my lips to kiss along my jaw and then down my throat, his lips barely grazing my skin as he nears the collar of his shirt that I am still wearing. His hand comes up to rest on the top button of the shirt. Nibley, he undoes the button and then pauses, no doubt waiting for me to tell him to stop. When I don't voice a complaint, he continues unbuttoning the shirt, his lips following the trail of newly exposed skin down to my knickers.

"You are gorgeous," he murmurs before tracing his tongue back up my stomach, between my breasts and up my neck to the spot behind my ear.

I shiver, my mouth opening in a soft moan as his hands help my arms out of the sleeves of his shirt. One hand slides up my body from my hipbone to my left breast, alternating between kneading it completely and rolling my nipple between two fingers. My back arches of its own accord as his lips latch onto my other nipple, sucking softly before gently biting down.

"Fuck, Malfoy!" I hiss as he continuous his ministrations. "I thought you wanted to worship me, not slowly torture me!"

He chuckles against my skin and begins kissing down my stomach, his fingers hooking around my underwear. Again, he pauses and waits for my approval before removing the fabric from my body. He places soft kisses on the insides of my thighs as he slowly wedges my legs apart.

"Granger, you are a fucking masterpiece."

His words send a shiver up my spine and distract me long enough for him to successfully pin my hips to the mattress with one arm. I let out a surprised shriek when he runs his tongue down my slit, my back arching, my hands gripping the bedsheets tightly.

"Oh shit! Malfoy, what are you doing?"

My eyes seem to roll to the back of my head as he continues to lick and kiss me. His lips close around my clit and I scream, buckling against the arm he uses to keep me pinned down. His free hand moves to hold down my right leg as he tilts his head to a different angle. Suddenly, I feel his tongue slide inside me, swirling around and thrusting in and out.

"Oh holy hell!" I shriek. My hands move from gripping the bedsheets to gripping his hair as he continues his ministrations.

Malfoy alternates between sucking my clit and thrusting his tongue inside of me, increasing his pace as I between to pant. I can feel myself approaching the peak, my back arching, nails scraping hard against his scalp. The scrap of his teeth is my only warning before he gently bites down on my clit and I shriek, my orgasm crashing into me as waves of pleasure roll over me.

I'm panting as I release his hair. Malfoy leans back away from me and licks his lips, a satisfied look on his face. "I want you to remember this moment every time someone tries to convince you that you are anything else than a goddamn work of art, you got that Granger? You deserve to be worshipped like a goddess and I intend to do just that."

I relish in the look of surprise when I lean forward and grasp the front of his shirt, pulling up and on top of me so I can kiss him. I taste myself on his lips as I wrap my arm around his neck, loving the feeling of his hands on my bare skin.

"No one has ever done that to me before," I say breathlessly as we pull away.

"You're joking. Please, Granger, tell me that's a lie."

I shake my head, a dazed smile still on my face. "Merlin, that was incredible…"

"Hey, don't be giving Merlin credit, he had nothing to do with it." Malfoy leans back slightly and gently brushes my hair off my forehead. "Did that help at all then?"

I find one of his hands and link our fingers together, giving him a full smile. "Yes, yes it did."

He smiles back and presses his mouth to mine. "Good."

* * *

 **AN: I am so, so, so sorry for the delay! My school year took a turn for the hectic and I had no time to write, but hopefully I'll be able to finish this story during summer break. Fingers crossed!**


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you ready for this?"

I glance over at Malfoy to find him peeking out of one of the many windows in his living room, looking down at the street below.

"How bad is it?" I ask, not even bothering to go check myself.

Malfoy hums to himself for a moment. "Remember when I punched Weasel in the face? And all those reporters started swarming Potter and Ginny?"

I nod slowly.

"Well, imagine that, and then double it."

I groan and cover my face with my hands. Malfoy's footsteps echo across his flat as he makes his way to me, his strong arms wrapping around my stomach as he leans in to kiss my temple. I relax in his embrace and laugh despite myself when his fingers move against a ticklish spot on my stomach he found the evening before.

"Please don't remind me that it was my idea to go public," I say, my face still buried in my hands.

Malfoy's laughter is quiet, but I can feel it rumbling in his chest behind me. "All right. I won't remind you that it was your idea to go public. Or that it was your idea to have our announcement be a picture of us kissing outside my apartment complex. _Or_ how it was your idea to spend the whole weekend at my flat to avoid going outside and as a result, the entire wizarding community as decided to stand outside, awaiting our appearance so they can figure out just what the hell is going on."

"Yes, please don't mention any of that." I sigh and lower my hands, turning so I am facing him. "What should we do?"

"You know my answer to that, Granger. I say we need to just face the music already. I can drive us to the Ministry today instead of us using the Floo Network. We don't have to answer any questions, we just have to let them see us. That way, they know it's not just some fling for either one of us. If we aren't seen together some bastard over at the _Prophet_ is going to take it upon him or herself to write some article on how we were so desperate for a shag that we hooked up and have now ruined our precious work relationship and friendship, thus dooming the justice system of the Ministry forever, and darling, I really don't feel like murdering someone today."

I smile and let my hands trail up his arms to play with the hair at the base of his neck, something I've found I rather enjoy doing. "But we didn't shag." I point out.

Malfoy rolls his eyes. "They don't know that, nor do they care. If you really want to avoid the reporters, we can Floo in. No Apparating though; it's bad for the baby."

I grin and stand on my tip toes to press my lips to his in a soft, chaste kiss, pulling away before he can do anything more than sweetly kiss me back. "I know, I know; Apparition is a no go." I glance toward the window as Malfoy's arms tighten around me, securing me to his body. "You're right," I admit. "We're going to have to deal with this at some point."

"All right, now I know you are officially dating me."

I look up at him quizzically and he smirks.

"There is no way in hell you'd ever admit I was right about something unless you were dating me. Which, luckily for me, you are."

I roll my eyes and pull away from him, moving toward his bedroom. "I'm going to get dressed now; hopefully some of them will have other stories they have to attend to and will disappear while I'm getting ready."

"Are you sure you can't just go into the office wearing that?"

I glance down at myself. Due to Malfoy's enthusiastic reaction to me wearing nothing but his shirt and a pair of knickers, I am wearing an old green t-shirt of his and a pair of white underwear. The shirt is old and faded, the smell of him rich and strong in the fabric. The knickers themselves are nothing new or special.

"Funnily enough, I wasn't planning on it."

Malfoy follows me into his bedroom, leaning against the door frame as I pull on a black pair of leggings. I peel his shirt off, instantly missing the comforting smell of him as I pull on a matching white bra and a deep purple sweater dress.

"Do you like my selection?" he asks as I adjust the dress in the mirror. "I wasn't sure what to grab you."

"It's perfect, thank you."

"To be honest," he says, another smirk pulling at the corners of his lips, "I had thought about just bringing your whole closet back with me when you asked to stay here for the whole weekend."

"Well I'm glad you didn't. As much as I love your flat, I do miss mine." I glance over at him, suddenly realizing that I am now meant to return to my flat tonight. Alone. And sleep in my own bed. Alone.

"Why the face?" Malfoy asks. "You all right?"

"I just realized that I've slept next to you for two nights in a row."

"And…?"

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

"Oh thank Merlin, I'd thought you'd never ask,"

"Excuse me?"

"Would you like me to sleep over at your flat tonight? Or is that the wrong way to phrase that question. Should I be asking permission to do that?"

I smile and move to his side so I can wrap my arms around his waist. "So long as Ginny or Harry don't tie me to a chair somewhere and hold me captive until I explain everything to them, I'd love it if you stayed at my place tonight."

"Don't worry," he says, leaning down and stopping just before his lips graze mine, "I'll come rescue you if they take you."

"You'd better," I warn, laughing as he finally closes the distance between our mouths and kisses me. I push him away when his tongue traces my lower lip, when I want to just pull him closer. "Enough, Malfoy. We have to go to work, it's Monday."

He growls, but moves away from me. "I hate that you're the responsible one. Fine, fine, I'll go grab my coat."

I smirk as he leaves and grab my purse from the top of his dresser before exiting his bedroom and meeting him outside his flat's entrance. I slip on my heels and thank Malfoy as he helps me into my coat. I cast one last wistful look around his flat, wanting nothing more than to change back into his old shirt and spend the whole day watching all movies with him on his couch.

"We could just call in sick," Malfoy proposes when he checks me eyeing the telly. "I'm sure you have an ungodly amount of sick days piling up."

"No; it was your idea that we go out and face the music, so that is what we are going to do."

"I hate being right all the time," he mutters as we exit his flat and make our way to the elevator. "How about we make it a half day? Let's just leave for lunch and then not come back."

I laugh and shake my head as we step into the elevator and Malfoy presses the button for the lobby. "Absolutely not, Malfoy. We are sticking out this whole day, no matter what it will bring and then we can get take-out or something and hide away in my flat for the rest of the night."

Malfoy mumbles something I don't quite catch in response as the doors to the elevator close and we begin the descendent down to the lobby.

"Hey, Granger."

"Yes, Malfoy?'

"Our first kiss was in an elevator."

"Don't you even think about it! We do not have the time for an elevator snog session and if we're about to get our pictures taken, I'd prefer not to do with a fresh hickey and messed up hair."

Malfoy makes a noise of protest in the back of his throat and I laugh, reaching out to wrap my arm around his waist.

"You're no fun," he moans.

"Oh really?" I ask, tilting my head up to meet his silver eyes. "I don't think that was what you were saying last night."

"Don't-"

"You remember, don't you?"

"Granger, I swear to Merlin-"

"When I did that little trick with my tongue-"

I don't register him moving until his mouth is firm on mine, his hands clutching my coat tightly as he backs me up into the wall of the elevator. I laugh into his kiss as his tongue demands entry into my mouth. My hands tug on his hair in the way I know now he likes and he moans softly into my mouth, his hips moving against mine rhythmically.

When the first bell signaling the opening of the elevator doors chime, Malfoy immediately pulls away from me, but keeps his hand firm in mine. We smile politely at the young couple who enter the lift as we exit.

"I swear, Granger," Malfoy says to me, his voice low as we slowly make our way to the main entrance. "It is so not fair for you to bring that up. Especially when you know I can't properly ravish you the way I'd like to in response."

I smile and squeeze his hand. "You'll survive. I just wanted to remind you that while you were known as the Slytherin Sex God in school, I haven't spent my time out of school being a total prude."

"Did people actually call me that?" Malfoy asks.

"If I say no will your ego deflate a little?"

"Of course not, it's me, Granger."

I laugh. "Good point. And yes, I believe several girls referred to you as that. Although, I am unsure if any of them actual slept with you."

He smirks and readjusts my hand in his before glancing toward the door.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Just keep looking at me. I mean, my attractiveness and beauty no know bounds, so I'm not sure why you'd even bother looking anywhere else. Honestly, Granger, I think they're just here because they want some more pictures of me to hang up in their offices."

"One can only hope, Malfoy."

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Granger," April says cheerily as I step off the lift. "You have one meeting with the Chief Warlock at three and you have… well, you have fifty messages, ma'am."

"Fifty?" I repeat. "You're joking." I pause and think for a moment. "How many are from the Potters?"

April smirks. "I cut them off at forty-five."

I laugh and shake my head. "You probably could have cut them off at two. Who are the other five from?"

She glances down at her clipboard before responding. "Um, it looks like two separate ones from the Investigation department: one considering the Madison case and the other concerning your custody battle. One message is from the Chief Warlock reminding you of your meeting at three this afternoon and one is from Draco Malfoy wishing you a lovely day."

My heart swells and warms so much that I nearly overlook the fact that April only mentioned four messages.

"You said I had five besides those from Harry and Ginny. Who is the fifth one from?"

April's cheeks go red with either embarrassment or uncomfortableness. "I didn't read it, ma'am."

My eyebrows pull together at her defensive tone. "I never implied that you did, April. Is everything all right?"

She sighs. "Everything is fine, Miss Granger… it's just that… well, the fifth message is from Mr. Weasley."

Shit. Ron. I had completely forgotten about him. I glance toward my office where my messages are waiting and bite my lower lip. "It's not a howler or anything is it?"

"I don't believe so, ma'am."

"All right, thank you April."

I move toward my office and shut the door behind me, immediately noticing the stack of messages piled high on my desk. I shuffle through them and discard Harry and Ginny's (which are mostly just differing versions of 'What the fuck?' and 'Owl me or Floo me the minute you get this'). I read through the ones from the Investigation department quickly before filing them away so I will look at them in greater detail later. Finally, the only message left unopened is Ron's.

Just as I go to reach for it, my fireplace erupts in a jet of emerald flames and out pops not just Harry, but Ginny as well.

"Merlin!" I say, clutching my heart. "You two could scare a person half to death, do you know that? A little warning next time would have been nice."

"You're dating Malfoy!" Ginny's voice is loud, her words more like an accusation than a question.

"Gin!" Harry says quickly. "I thought we agreed, we were going to be supportive and _then_ be mad that she didn't tell us-"

"Screw that," she says. "I'm jumping straight to annoyed as hell that my best friend didn't tell me she was dating Draco goddamn Malfoy! When did this happen?"

"Well, we didn't officially put a label on it until Friday."

"See, it's only been a few days," Harry says, turning to Ginny. "I won the bet."

"Woah, woah, you guys had a bet about this?"

"Yeah and now I'm even more annoyed with you considering I lost," Ginny says dimly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Malfoy admitted to being interested in me the night we all went to dinner and he punched Ron in the face. I decided I was willing to give him a shot romantically and well, now we're dating."

"Wait, you guys started seeing each other over a month ago?" Gin clarifies.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. But, we like I said, we didn't officially label it until last Friday."

"Doesn't matter, I won!" she says turning to Harry with a gloating look on her face. "I told you this couldn't have been a recent thing! I win!"

"No, because they didn't label it until a few days ago-"

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser, Harry-"

"Not that I'm not happy that you both are handling this so well," I say before they can really start arguing over the rules of their bet, "but, why _are_ you handing this so well? I was scared you two might think I was possessed or something."

"Hermione, we saw the way you acted with Malfoy when we all went to dinner," Harry says. "Not to mention just the way he's been acting toward _us_ since then. He really has toned down on being a massive prat since Hogwarts."

"And you've seemed so much happier these past few weeks," Ginny adds. "We'd be insane not to be happy for you. Don't get us wrong, we're confused as all hell and I'm still pissed I had to learn about your relationship from a freaking _Prophet_ article, but I suppose I'll forgive you eventually."

"Please do not mention that article," I beg, rubbing my temples at the mere thought of it. "I never want to think about the things that reporter said about me ever again."

"If it makes you feel any better," Ginny says, cross my office to my side so she can take my hands, "I'm already plotting that reporter's brutal and painful murder. In fact, I'm sure Malfoy would be more than willing to help me execute that plan. And the reporter."

I laugh and pull her in for a hug. "Thanks Gin. I'm so glad you two are taking this so well." I pull away from her and look between them suspiciously for a moment. "Out of curiosity, what does the winner of your little bet win?"

"Full naming rights to our first born child," Harry admits after a slight pause.

"You two are actually flat out ridiculous."

"Well, you are too, so I guess that explains how we all get along so well."


	18. Chapter 18

I glance over from the file I'm working on toward Ron's message, still laying unopened on my desk. I chew my lower lip and let my eyes drift back to my actual work with the hope that I can distract myself with the Madison case. The Investigation Department is already hot on the trail of whichever Ministry employee tampered with official documents and they don't need my help with it. Nor am I needed to reexamine the evidence or prep the witnesses and attorneys. The moment the Investigation Department finds the person responsible, I'll be needed to draft up arrest and court papers, but I am just in their way until then.

I even reread the current status report on my custody battle, despite there being no real new developments. The department has begun the process of interviewing Ron and I's friends and families to start initial reports and opinions into who they believe will be a more fit parent. In a few weeks they will assess our living conditions and will have a follow up examination right before I am due to give birth. The current, albeit unofficial, opinion of the department is that I will be awarded full custody for reasons such as a more steady and reliable job schedule, excellent reports from those interviewed on my behalf, and a better home environment to raise a child.

I have next to nothing to do or worry about to keep my mind off of whatever it is Ron felt the need to send me after learning Malfoy and I are an item.

Setting down my quill, I reach for the message hesitantly, as if it could burn or bite me. Unlike my usual messages, this one is concealed by the envelope it was delivered in, rather than the typical slip of paper April writes on when someone has sent me an owl or called for me. In fact, the handwriting isn't even April's, it's Ron's. I would recognize his hastily scrawl anywhere. I turn it over with trembling fingers, finally making a move to open it, when there is a knock on my office door.

I drop the envelope immediately as if I am a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Come in!"

"Please tell me you are done for the day and that we can go." Malfoy's voice is begging as he strolls into my office, his coat already folded over his arm, a smirk spread out across his lips. "Because I would very much like to get that take-out you mentioned this morning." His silver eyes drop toward my desk, probably to check for any open files or work documents that might be keeping me later than he'd like, and he spots the envelope lying face down. "What's that?"

"Uh…" I look down at the message, hastily trying to decide if I want Malfoy to know about it. If Ron said anything remotely threatening or rude to me, I know it will completely ruin the nice evening we've both probably been thinking about since coming into the office. "It's not important."

"You're a shit liar, you know that, right?"

"I know," I admit, picking up the envelope and tucking it away in my bag before he can see the handwriting and potentially recognize it as Ron's. "It's just some message from this morning that I haven't got around to opening yet. I can ignore it for a little while longer."

He arches a perfect blond brow and crosses his arms against his chest, his tongue clicking against his teeth. "If you say so."

Sighing, I stand and walk around my desk so I'm standing near him, but not quite touching. "It's… it's from Ron."

"Ah." Malfoy's eyes flicker toward my bag, narrowing slightly as if the redhead himself is lying in wait in the envelope. "Do you want to read it?"

Hesitantly, I shake my head. "Not really."

"Do you want me to read it for you?"

"Absolutely not." At Malfoy's hurt expression, I reach out for his hands. "I'm afraid that if he wrote something mean about me or you that he'll ruin our evening and I just really want to have a nice cuddle with you on the couch and maybe a hot bubble bath, I don't know."

Malfoy's thumbs rub soft circles into the back of my hands before he tugs gently to make me step closer to him. "Then we won't read it and we won't let it ruin our night in. All right?"

"But what if we're both too busy worrying about what Ron could have written-"

"Granger." His voice is firm, but his eyes gentle. "It's going to bother you until you read it. I won't look at it if that's what you want, but I think you should just read it and get it over with. Then I can spend the rest of the evening doing whatever you need me to do to make you feel better, assuming you even need my comfort."

I bite my lower lip and glance back to my bag. "How about we just read it together? But back at my flat, I don't want to read it here."

He pulls me in and kisses my forehead, letting me wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. "We'll do whatever you what. Promise."

* * *

"I want to read it," I say.

Malfoy looks up from his Chinese takeout, his chopsticks poised to grab more food. "Right now?"

"In a few minutes," I amend, smiling at how he looks at the last of his food longingly as if he expects me to throw it all away the moment I open Ron's message. "But I don't want to do it here."

Silver eyes glance around my living room, confusion shining in their depths. The telly is on, playing some American movie about finding a secret Knight's Templar treasure staring Nicholas Cage. We are sitting with our backs reclining against different ends of the couch, but our legs are entwined and covered by a soft blue blanket while we eat our takeout. Truthfully, I haven't been more comfortable in a little while.

"Um, all right. I promised we'd do whatever you want. Where, then?"

"The bathroom."

"The bathroom?"

"Is there an echo in here?"

"Ha ha, very funny, Granger." Malfoy eats the last of his chicken before setting the carton down on the coffee table. "Why the bathroom?"

"I told you at the office, I thought I might want a nice bubble bath and I do."

"You want to read Weasley's letter to you, whilst in the bath?"

"Yes. With you of course."

Malfoy's eyebrows raise as a cheeky grin spreads across his face. "You know I'm pretty much always on board with something that requires you getting undressed. But isn't it a bit weird to read his message while in the tub with me?"

I shrug, setting aside my own empty carton of Chinese food and leaning forward so I can crawl over his legs and straddle his lap, my hands moving to play with his hair. "Maybe, but the minute we decide the letter doesn't deserve to be read, we can toss it aside and then very easily forget about it."

"You're going to be the death of me, I swear it. You're a tad insatiable, you know that, right?"

I lean forward so my lips are barely grazing his as I reply, "I know. I can't decide if it's because it's you, or if it's just my pregnancy hormones."

Malfoy chuckles and tugs on my hips, pulling me forward and bridging the small gap between us. I pull on his hair roughly, moaning as he grinds his hips up into mine, keeping me firm against him with his grip on my hips. When he moves his head so he can press open-mouthed kisses down the side of his throat, I groan and grab a fistful of the front of his shirt, pushing him back against the couch and forcibly leaning against him.

"Save some for later," I say breathlessly when he gives me a cocky grin. "You go draw the bath; I'll clean this up and grab the message."

Malfoy brushes a stray curl away from my face, his fingers grazing my cheekbones. "Are you sure this is how you what to read it?"

"No, but I know I do want to take a bath with you so I might as well get it out of the way beforehand."

"Granger," he tugs on my hair gently when I start to pull away. "If you get upset or anything, you know we can just go right back to cuddling on the couch, right? We don't have to do anything… physical to take your mind off of it. I could whip you up some of that wine flavored water and pop out for some of that Muggle ice cream you like so well and we could watch some sappy romantic comedy if that'd make you feel better."

I pause. "If you feel uncomfortable reading it in the tub-"

"I don't feel uncomfortable," he quickly interjects. "It's just going to be a little weird. But don't worry about me, I'm a big boy."

I smile. "Then draw the bath. I'll be there in a minute."

I climb off of his lap and start gathering the empty takeout cartons as Malfoy makes his way to the bathroom. I hear the water start as I make my way to the kitchen and toss the trash. Returning to the living room, I flip off the telly and fold the blanket, draping it over the couch. Taking a deep breath, I head by to the front door and retrieve my bag. I set it on the counter as I rummage through it for Ron's message. When I pull it out, I stare at it for a moment before deciding I was going to need something that at least _tasted_ like wine to get me through this. I pull a wine glass out of the cabinet and fill it with water. With a tap and a nonverbal spell, my glass of water turns deep red. I turn to the frig and pull out a beer for Malfoy, having figured out which kind he liked by the way he had stockpiled it in his own frig.

Walking toward my bedroom, I find a trail of Malfoy's clothes. Leaning against the doorframe of my bedroom, I see him already reclining in the bath. Water shines against his torso, his muscles sharp and chiseled. He turns at the sound of my footsteps and smiles when he sees me.

"Is that for me?"

I smirk and move toward the tub to hand him the beer, letting my eyes slowly roam over the bits of his body not completely covered by the bubbles.

"See something you like, Granger?"

"Maybe."

His smile turns into a smirk and he holds out his hand. "Why don't you give me your glass and join me then?"

I smile softly and hand him my glass before setting Ron's message down beside the tub. Malfoy's eyes watch my every moment and I reach down for the hem of my dress and pull it over my head, letting it fall to the floor. I roll down my leggings and step out of them. Even though he's seen me naked before, my face burns bright as I peel off my panties and unclasp my bra.

"Why are you blushing?"

"Because you're staring."

"Well I can't help that, you're stunning. Now please come here before I have to get out and come get you myself."

I step toward the tub and place my hand against the wall to steady myself as I step in. Turning so my back is facing Malfoy, I slowly lower myself between his legs. His chest is strong and firm behind me, his legs slightly bent because he is too tall for my bath. Once I'm settled, Malfoy hands me my glass and I recline against him and slip my wine flavored water. His free hand traces patterns into my thigh and I sigh happily.

"This is nice," I say. "But next time, I'll transfigure the tub so it's a little bigger."

Malfoy laughs, the feeling of his chest rumbles through me. "It's really not that bad, Granger. I don't mind."

I hear the sound of glass hitting tile as Malfoy lowers his beer to the floor and eases my head back so he can pour water onto my hair. I melt in-between his thighs and he pours some of my shampoo between his hands and starts massaging my scalp. His nails scratch me gently as he goes, moving in circles and lathering up all of my curls.

"Oh Merlin," I moan. "I might never let you leave if you keep doing that."

Malfoy chuckles and rinses my hair, continuing the massage as he washes out the shampoo. "I just figured I should since we are in the bath." His arms pull around my stomach to pull me closer against him. My heart warms as he adjusts his hands so he's cradling my baby bump.

I take another drink before setting my glass down and reaching for Ron's letter. "All right, let's do this."

Malfoy leans forward slightly to kiss my shoulder blade before resting his head completely on my shoulder. "Ready when you are."

I will my fingers not to shake as I open the envelope. Tucked inside is a small slip of paper. Turning the envelope upside down, I shake it over my open hand. "What the hell?" I mumble when something besides the paper falls from the envelope, missing my hand completely and splashing into the water.

"I'll find it," Malfoy says, one hand already moving away from my stomach to feel around the bottom of the tub for whatever fell out. "Just read it."

I pull out the paper and toss aside the envelope. My eyes scan the page quickly, my hand immediately flying to my mouth in shock. "Oh no. Oh holy fuck."

"Got it!" Malfoy says triumphantly.

I watch in mute horror as his hand breaks free from the surface of the bath, a shining diamond ring in his grasp.

I can _feel_ Malfoy stiffen behind me in surprise. "Granger… what the fuck?"

"It's not- that can't be," I say, looking at the ring and then twisting my neck so I can meet Malfoy's eyes. "It's a lie!"

"What's a lie? What did the message say?"

I hold out the letter to Malfoy, my panic and anger successfully tongue-tying me. He takes the parchment from me quickly, silver eyes scanning Ron's hasty scrawl.

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm so happy we were able to sort everything out. I know I've been a prat lately, but I'm so lucky and grateful we could meet and fix everything. I love you and I can't wait for our baby to arrive. You're going to be a great mother and an even better wife. Be sure to let Malfoy down easy, won't you? We both know how he can be._

 _Love always,_

 _Ron_

I can practically _feel_ Malfoy's anger rolling off of him. Unable to bare the silence, I turn around completely, splashing water over the side of the tub as I straddle his waist, my arms locking around his neck so he can't storm out without pulling me with him.

"What the fuck?" His voice is slow and calm. Smooth and dangerous. "Granger, what the fuck is this?"

"I don't know," I say honestly. "I don't know."

"What is he talking about?"

"I don't know, Malfoy! I haven't spoken to him since our first date!"

"Then what the hell is he going on about? And why is he sending you back your engagement ring?!"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" My voice cracks and tears threaten to spill down my cheeks as my hormones attack, latching themselves to every emotion I'm feeling and amplifying them. "I don't know!"

Malfoy's eyes soften at the sound of my cracking voice and he searchs my face before tossing the paper and ring over the side of the tub. He sits up slightly and holds my face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that leak from my eyes.

"Don't cry, Granger, please don't cry."

"I c-can't help it," I sob, moving to nestle my head into the crook of his neck. "I don't know what he's trying to do."

Malfoy's arms slowly wrap around my body, holding me tight against him. "This," he says simply. "This is what he's trying to do. He took a risk that you'd open that around me. He wants us to fight… to argue. He wanted to trick me into thinking you had gotten back together with him. He wanted me to break up with you."

"But… it didn't work, right?" I pull my face out of its hiding spot between Malfoy's neck and shoulder so I can meet his eyes.

He shakes his head softly. "No. It didn't."

I watch his face closely and wipe away the last of my tears. "I want you, Malfoy. Only you. Ron can go fuck himself."

Malfoy's eyes flicker to my lips and he nods. "I know; I believe you, Granger."

There is a slight pause before we attack each other, our lips meeting in open mouthed fury, our rage at Ron and what he tried to do fueling our passion for each other. I grip his forearms tightly as one of his hands slide down my back to grip my ass, pulling me tighter against his hardening length beneath me. I rank my nails through his hair and down his back as his lips move down my neck before biting down at the base of my collarbone.

"Malfoy," I beg as his hand continues to grope my ass, the other teasing my breast. "Malfoy, I need you."

"We can't," he mumbles against my lips. "The baby-"

I let out a frustrated moan and trace my lips across his jawline and down his throat. I don't register his hands moving toward my waist until he flips our positions in one swift moment, spilling water out of one side of the tub and onto the tile floor. His hands pin my wrists above my head to the edge of the tub as he looks down on me hungrily.

"Please," I beg again. "I _need_ you-"

"Sorry love, but that's a no go for now. However," he leans forward and presses his body against mine, his length hard between my thighs. "I can offer another solution."

"Fuck!" I scream as he grinds against me, his length rubbing hard against my clit. "Oh, fuck, do that again!"

He laughs breathlessly as he complies and continues to grid his hips into mine, giving me the friction I desperately need without entering me. Releasing my hands so he can grip the edge of the tub, Malfoy continues to ride his hips against mine, leaning forward to nip at my neck as he keeps up his fast and hard pace. I wrap my arms around him, desperate to hold onto something- anything- as my release approaches.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I hiss, my nails digging into his back.

"Say my name," he growls as my back arches, my climax nearly there.

"Fucking fuck! Draco!"

My release crashes into me as my back arches even more, my chest pressed hard against his, my nails digging so far into his skin that I should probably be concerned that I might be drawing blood, but the euphoric feeling radiating through my body is too strong to ignore and takes precedence. Above me, he thrusts against me a few more times before groaning deeply and meeting his own release, his cum shooting up onto our stomachs, still pressed together tightly.

We're panting as we lean back to look at each other. Smiles break across our faces and he leans down to kiss me, his kiss tender and soft.

"So, do I get first name privileges now?" I ask.

His laugh is breathless as he kisses me again. "Only if I do too."


End file.
